Smoke, Flames and Broken Glasses
by Valerie Sabrina Verzoe
Summary: AU. They say to fall back in love, you must first fall out of love. Whether you can fall back in love is another story. Sequel to 'Alcohol, Cigarettes and Paperwork'. A modern love and family story. Rated M for adult themes.
1. Uncertain

All things turn sour in time.

No matter how long-lasting it seems to be, often, things change in an immeasurable pace; what you thought was held in your hand would crumble to dust.

A young boy sat at the table - it was breakfast time at his home.

His dark hair was tied into a short ponytail, his green eyes, calm like the surface of a lake, stared into the green tea as steam puffed its way from the liquid itself.

He frowned as he inhaled an unpleasant whiff of steam - he looked up and saw his father sitting there, frowning as he flipped over the newspaper. A cigarette was hanging from his lips. Smoke leaked its way out of his mouth as if he was a dragon.

The house was awfully quiet, normally at this moment, his mother would have came out of the kitchen, hands on her hips, shouting at his father asking him to drop that 'thing' from his mouth and start eating.

But today was no that day - on their table was two slices of bread and a jar of jam.

There was no clattering in the kitchen, the smell of freshly cooked food absent from the house this morning.

It seemed extraordinarily empty, with the father and son sitting at the table.

"Shikadai," his father's magnetic sound rang in his ear, probing him out of his thoughts. "Hurry up and eat your breakfast."

Shikadai eyed the slice of bread on his plate, hastily pasted with jam.

Normally, his mother would cut off all the edges, toast it until it is crispy and golden brown before putting it aside some other food, sausages and fried eggs perhaps.

The boy said nothing as he pushed the bread slice into his mouth, it was bland, almost tasteless.

Hastily gulping up the tea, he put down the empty cup and stood up.

"I am going to school." He said, grabbing his school bag from beside his chair, he walked out of the house.

* * *

The older man sighed as he heard the quiet thump of the door closing.

He stroked the goatee on his chin, as he put the dishes into the dishwasher.

His tie was draped over his shoulder, drying his hand, he checked whether he had got everything with him.

He sucked his teeth as he felt the hollowness in his pocket - his wallet was in his room.

Slowly, he ventured his way up the staircase and into his room.

Opening the door, he could see her lying there - his wife of sixteen years, apparently asleep.

Her long eyelashes brushed her adam's apples, tiny wrinkles near her eyes crinkled as she sniffed in her sleep.

He frowned as he looked at her - he remembered how they met: a one-night stand, then the next day she was there in his office, smirking at him.

Somehow, he had been in her clutch since then - everything seemed so perfect when they first got together and got married.

Nothing seemed to be different when she gave birth to his son, everything did not seem to change.

He only started to notice when it was almost too late - she was different, as if they were strangers that just so happened to share the roof and bed.

She seemed to have lost her sense of humour, and devoted almost all her attention to their son.

Temari seemed to be reduced to Shikadai's mother, rather than his wife.

"Aren't you going to work?" He realised that she was staring at him, she sat up on the bed, dressed in a loose-fitting t-shirt, her sandy blonde hair wildly messy.

"Yeah, forgot my wallet." Without hesitation, he grabbed the leather wallet from the dresser.

Shikamaru sighed as he walked out of the door, and headed for the main door.

She said nothing as she stared at him, turning away and walked out of the room.

She waited for a while, silently listening to his steps away from her room, and out of the house.

Her emerald eyes widened, as she peered at the light.

Stretching herself, she stepped off the bed and walked into the kitchen.

Almost without blinking, she pressed a few buttons on the coffee machine, as the coffee dripped into the cup, she sighed softly.

Shikamaru had been very distant - he was always working, which was strange for someone like him.

She knew that their business has grown over the years, but Shikamaru was never a workaholic.

He was deliberately avoiding her, and no matter what she does, all he seemed to do was trying to brush her off.

It was work and work all the time, he no longer seemed to care about her, about the family.

She took the coffee in her hand, and took a sip, the bitterness tasted awkwardly sweet as it brushed passed her tongue.

Perhaps even the most bitter coffee tasted sweet, against her own circumstances.

She sighed as she finished the coffee, walking back into the living room, she pulled out a list and tried to figure what to cook.

A faint smile came across her face as something in her mind clicked.

"Mackerel it is then," she smiled to herself, perhaps this could change somethings.

* * *

"What do you mean your parents are fighting?" The blonde haired boy arched an eyebrow, his pale skin almost glittering under the classroom lights.

Shikadai shrugged. "My mom didn't bother to get up to fix breakfast, it's that bad."

"That's something," another tanned girl said, blinking her amber coloured eyes. "Moms are probably very mad when they don't make breakfast, right Inojin?"

"I have to agree with Chouchou on this one," Inojin replied. "Did you hear anything, fights?"

"No, the thing is, my dad is always working late, and when he comes back, my mom doesn't talk to him."

Shikadai scratched his head. "I don't remember them like this - they were always talking and laughing in the past."

"Maybe something happened?" Inojin suggested. "I mean, you know soap operas and stuff, when a marriage goes wrong, there are only a few reasons."

"You are suggesting that my dad or mom has an affair or something?" Shikadai arched an eyebrow, his green eyes rolled up and stared at the ceiling. "Troublesome."

"Meh, but auntie Temari is so beautiful!" Chouchou exclaimed, her hands shoving into her bag of crisps. "Why would uncle Shikamaru cheat on her?"

"Could be the other way round, you know." Inojin added.

Shikadai sighed and stood up, walking up to the window, he stared at the clouds. The sky was grey and boring.

He was so used to the idea that his parents is the ideal couple, envy of all.

He was not so sure, not anymore.

The uncertainty scared him, he was not sure what he would be expecting when he got back to home today.

The silence, the tension was straining.

The bell rang to signify end of recess. Shikadai pressed on his neck and walked back to his seat.

"Troublesome," he muttered as he opened his book; he found himself unable to focus on what the teacher was saying.

He told himself not to think about it, what if it was all over?

What if his parents are getting a divorce?

He did not know, more importantly, he did not want to know - perhaps if he did not think about it, it would not happen.

* * *

Author's note:

I was not quite sure whether I should do this ... but anyway this is the beginning of the sequel to ACP.

As you can see we are off to a rocky start, let's see where this will take us :S

Enjoy! Read and reivew!

V.S.V xoxo


	2. Missed by that much

Temari sighed in relief as she walked into the house, two bags of groceries at her feet.

The first thing she did after morning coffee was to get to the fish market, at the other end of town, and bought freshly caught mackerel.

She knew that both Shikamaru and Shikadai loved mackerel, she smiled as she rinsed the fish under running water.

Grilled mackerel with salt and rice and miso soup on the side, plus kelp marinated in vinegar - she knew that this was their favourite meal.

Shikamaru likes his sauce a bit more tangy, she thought to herself as she mixed the sauce; pouring an extra small bowl on the side, she added just a bit more vinegar to the brown mixture.

She smiled to herself, as she grounded the white turnip into a soft paste.

Not realising that time had already passed, she was startled by a loud yawn.

"I am back," he said, kicking off his shoes, Shikadai crashed onto the sofa.

"Go and take a shower," she ordered him, walking out of the kitchen, hands on her hips. "Or you won't have mackerel for dinner tonight."

Shikadai sat up, and grinned at her. "Cool, I will shower now."

She smiled as the mackerel grilled on the stove, its skin cackling and sizzled as the flames kissed its surface. Temari looked out of the window and saw the sun descending, half of the giant orb hid itself behind the green mountains.

She smiled to herself, and imagined how his face would be, coming home to his favourite meal.

* * *

An hour has passed after the freshly grilled mackerel landed on the plate.

Temari had stopped staring at the front door, without a word, she picked up her chopsticks and began to dismantle the piece of fish in front of her.

Shikadai ate his food silently, he was frightened, rather, worried about his mother.

She was so quiet, so unlike her in the afternoon.

 _Stupid dad,_ he thought to himself. _Of all the days you could work late, why today?_

Temari sat there and chewed quietly. Shikadai stared at her with his equally green eyes.

"So, uh," he tried to break the suffocating silence. "I won a shogi match at school today."

"Oh?" Temari looked up at him for a brief second. "Congratulations."

"Thanks," he said, as the room retreated back into silence.

 _Think of something to say, Shikadai. Think, think …_

"I really enjoyed the food, mom." He said, trying his best to smile at her.

Temari looked at him for a second, for a while she seemed to be lost with thoughts.

"Thank you, Shikadai." She replied softly. "Are you done with that?"

She pointed at his empty bowl and plate. He nodded attentively.

Temari smiled faintly before standing up and picking up their bowls and plates - hers was barely touched.

She proceeded to dump what was on her bowl into the rubbish bin, after putting their plates into the dishwasher, she walked out of the kitchen with a cover, and put it over the only set of dinner left on the table.

"If you need me, I will be in my room studying," Shikadai said to her, Temari nodded at him, what seemed to be a smile appeared on her face. "Don't work too hard," she said softly, before reaching her hand towards the television remote.

Shikadai walked up the stairs, as he heard the television becoming louder and louder.

Amongst the laughter on screen, he thought he heard a soft sob.

Slowly and almost soundlessly, he closed the door.

Deep inside his head, he cursed his father, wherever he was at.

* * *

He opened his eyes, and found himself still in the office.

The clock on his desk spelled 21:03.

He patted his face to see whether he was dreaming, standing up he quietly cursed himself.

Apparently he fell asleep as he looked over the papers, stretching, he gathered his stuff and walked out of the office.

As he drove in his car, he was silently praying.

He was praying that Temari would be waiting at the door, scream at him for being so late, and then muttering troublesome things as she sat across the table, after she reheated his dinner for him.

He was praying for her to react, no matter how, he just wanted her to vent her anger.

In the past, it always seemed to work.

He thought to himself as he stood outside the door of his house.

21: 34. He looked at the watch as he opened the door.

The house was noisy, the sound of television ringing in his ears, there was only one light on at the dining table, apart from the light emitting from the television, he walked inside and took off his shoes.

Shikamaru walked inside quietly, as he moved forward, he noticed a familiar scent that he had not smelled for a long time.

 _Wine._

He took another step forward, and stared.

Temari was sitting there, her eyes closed, the light from the television made her face looked extra pale.

In her hand was an empty wine glass, on the ground was another, smashed to bits and pieces. An almost-empty wine bottle sat on the table, the cork by its side.

 _She almost finished the whole bottle on her own._

He was surprised that Shikadai did not wake up from the glass smashing.

Shikamaru proceeded to sweep away the broken glass, as he did, his wife shuffled, the empty wineglass in her hand almost dropping.

He gently removed the glass from her hand, as she mumbled some words in her mouth.

"Damn you," she muttered. He took a closer at her face - she had been crying, the tear stains on her face barely dry; the alcohol evident from her breath and ruddy cheeks.

He sighed, as he gently slid his hands beneath her shoulders and knees, and picked her up.

She was a bit lighter than he remembered, perhaps it was because the last time he picked her up was a long time ago.

He took step after step up the staircase, and opened the door to their bedroom.

Gently he laid her down onto the bed, covering her in the blankets, he adjusted the pillows and made sure that they fitted underneath her neck, just the way she likes it.

He stared at her for a second, her chest heaving upwards and down as he did.

"Goodnight," he said softly, as he left the room.

He returned to the dining table - his dinner was sitting there under the covers.

Without much thought, he removed the covering lid.

A mackerel slice sat there, cold and sad. Next to it was a memo note, he could recognise her handwriting anywhere - it was strong, yet nothing offensive to the eye - just like herself.

 _Rice and miso soup in the kitchen._

 _Reheat for 2 minutes in microwave on low._

He smiled at the note, as he proceeded to put the fish into the microwave, he stared as the plate spun inside the machine.

The smell of cooking lingered in the kitchen, he could almost picture how she prepared the fish, the rice, everything.

Temari hated the slipperiness of seafood, normally, she would choose to cook anything but seafood. Even when she did cooked, she would complain afterwards how the fins and shells stung her fingers, pouting as he rubbed her hand in his, an exasperated smile on his face.

 _Beep._

The lights of the microwave dimmed as the plate stopped spinning. He sighed as he opened the machine's door and took the steaming plate from inside.

He sat down at the table, and sighed.

Dipping a piece of the morsel into the sauce, he put it in his mouth.

The sauce was tangy, just the way he liked it. He frowned, as he munched and chewed.

 _How she must have been disappointed, if he had guessed correctly, she was probably sitting there with Shikadai, staring at the door as her food goes cold._

Bite after bite, gulp after gulp, his food soon turned to a pile of bones and empty bowls.

He cleaned up afterwards, and walked into the shower.

The water ran across his face, his hair, from head to toe, he thought it would clear his mind, but nothing happened.

As he walked out of his room, he saw a miniature version of him standing in his front.

A wild headed Shikadai stared up at him, his hand rubbing his eye. "You're back."

"It's almost eleven now, you should be asleep." He said. "Your-"

"Mom will be angry," he snapped. "I know." He opened his mouth and yawned. "I need to brush my teeth."

Then Shikadai walked into the bathroom, and closed the door.

Shikamaru scratched his dripping hair and walked back into his room. As he dressed himself in his night clothes, he saw Temari's limbs sprawling out on the bed, long slender arms and legs almost reaching the edges of the bed. He smiled at himself.

 _This was what she always does when she was dead drunk._ He thought.

Shrugging, he took the hairdryer and went to the guest room.

 _Let her have a good night's sleep,_ he thought. _She must have had a rough day._

Just before he left, he took a piece of paper from the dresser and scribbled a note, he left it on the nightstand next to the bed before exiting the room silently.

* * *

The next morning, rather, at 4am in the morning, Temari shot up from the bed and gasped.

Immediately she turned at the clock.

 _04:30._

She scratched her head as she muttered softly. Turning around, she saw a piece of note on the table.

She took it in her hand, and stared for a long time.

She could recognise his handwriting anytime - it was very continuous, and soft for a man - almost the embodiment of his lazy self, who tend to slur with his pen.

But the message was awfully clear.

 _Sorry_.

She smiled painfully as she crumbled the note in her hand.

 _I don't need any apology, all I need was for you to be here, be here for me, for Shikadai._

She thought to herself, and rubbed her face with her hand. The hangover headache was conking her deep inside of her head.

Everything seemed so familiar, all of this all seemed to call her back some sixteen, seventeen years ago…

 _When they were not sure where the relationship was going …_

 _When nothing seemed right …_

 _How did they manage that?_

 _And how on earth did they reduce themselves to this?_

Temari sighed, and said nothing. Instead, she set her phone alarm to 6am, and drowned herself back onto the bed.

Perhaps when she wake up again, she would saw her husband snoring next to her when she opened her eyes, and she would realise that it was all a nightmare.

Perhaps she wouldn't.

* * *

Author's note:

Another quick update with a short chapter! It just so happens I have the itch to quickly write another chapter so here you go!

It might be confusing in a way that their relationship was not as bad as it seems, but there is certainty some conflicts and uncertainty :3

Let's see how this goes from here.

Enjoy! xoxo

V.S.V


	3. Need

Temari rushed into the school gates, gasping for breath as she almost ran to the principal's office.

She walked inside and saw the principal sitting comfortably in his chair, in front of him stood three students - her son, another boy and a girl, whom she recognised to be Choji's daughter, Chocho.

"Ah, Mrs. Nara," the Principal addressed her with a polite smile. Temari nodded at him, turning around, she saw the other boy's parents, both of them short and angry, glaring at Shikadai.

Temari took a moment to look at the state of the children - Chocho was unharmed, though physically shaken; Shikadai had a few bruises on his arms, a torn shirt, and a crossed expression on his face.

As for the other boy, he was less fortunate - his face was covered with bruises and cuts, so were other visible parts of his body. A dark circle surrounded his right eye and reminded Temari of her brother Gaara.

"Sorry that I have called you here in such a rushed manner." The principal said. "But this is a serious matter." The principal asked the parents to take a seat.

"Nara Shikadai and Nagao Daichi got into a fight, and I think it is only proper for you to explain yourselves in front of your parents."

The other boy looked down at his feet, while Shikadai glared at him angrily.

"You deserved it," he hissed.

"What did you just say boy?" Daichi's father was clearly agitated, he stood up and walked up to Shikadai, only to be stopped by Temari.

"Listen to what they have to say," Temari shot a glance at her son.

Her son was never one to pick fights, but she knew him well - _if someone tried to harm those he treasured, he would not let them off easily._

"Very well," the principal looked up at Shikadai. "Explain yourself, Shikadai-kun."

"He was picking on Chocho, calling her names and poking her with a pen," Shikadai said plainly. "I told him to stop, he didn't; instead he decided to throw himself on me, and this happened."

Shikadai pointed to the boy's face unapologetically.

"Well, well..." the boy tried to retort, but found himself at a loss of words.

"Can you verify the story Chocho?" The principal turned at the dark-skinned girl.

She nodded. "Everything Shikadai said was true," it was apparent that she was crying just now, her eyes puffy and red.

"Well," the Principal sighed. "Daichi-kun, you do realise that bullying someone is wrong?"

The boy nodded, avoiding Shikadai's glare.

"And Shikadai-kun, do you understand that hitting anyone, regardless of the reason, is wrong?" The principal sighed. "To think an intelligent student like you -"

"I was only acting in self-defence," he retorted, arms folding in front of his chest, his green eyes still glaring angrily at Daichi.

"You don't have to hit him like this, look at him!" Daichi's mother shot up from her chair, pointing at her son's swollen face. "Besides, this girl is probably lying … of course she would."

"I am not!" Chocho shouted, banging her fist onto the table.

At the moment, someone opened the door, Temari was not sure whether she was glad or sad to see the familiar face.

It was Choji, Shikamaru's old friend and colleague, he was still dressed in his office attire, it was obvious that he rushed over from work.

Speaking of which … Temari had hoped for a second that her husband would enter the room after his big-boned friend.

Temari smiled painfully for a brief second as the door closed behind him.

"Ah Mr. Akimichi," the principal nodded at the large man. Chocho immediately walked over and stuffed her face into Choji's chest and began to sob, visible watermarks appearing on his white shirt.

"What happened?" Choji eyed the boy and nodded at Shikadai, who nodded at him politely.

Temari briefly explained the situation to the man, whose normally peaceful expression turned emotionless, his eyebrows twitched and his cheeks became ruddier.

"So what are you going to do to them, hm?" He asked impatiently, his thick arm wrapping around his daughter's shoulders.

"Well, since Daichi-kun and Shikadai-kun both got into a fight, I would suggest that they be suspended for three days so that they could reflect on their mistakes."

"Hold on," Temari could not hold it anymore, she walked up to her son, her hand pressed comfortingly on his shoulder. "You are going to have my son suspended for defending his friend and himself?"

"Fighting is against the school rule, Mrs. Nara." The principal said calmly, looking at the furious blonde woman.

"That boy _bullied_ someone," she hissed, Shikadai could not remember the last time he saw his mother so angry. "Is bullying against the school rule then huh? Should I ask my son to pick fights instead of defending himself?"

"I understand, Mrs. Nara…"

"You don't understand a thing," she snapped. "If you are going to keep my son from going to school for doing a good deed of protecting his friend and defending himself from a bully, I am going to make sure you get the repercussions."

"My son will be coming to school tomorrow, and he'd better stay here until it's time to come home." Temari's green eyes glared at him darkly. "Let's go Shikadai," she turned at them, a swift smile on her face.

Before she left, she turned at the parents of Daichi. "That face looks good on him, I hope he would learn a lesson from this," she smirked before pulling Shikadai out of the room, slamming the door as she left.

* * *

He sat in the car as she drove, as she always had.

"Thank you for sticking for me, mom." He said as she turned at the corner of a street.

"You were doing the right thing, I trust you," she smiled. "That Daichi picked the wrong person to bully."

Shikadai sighed. "If only school wasn't this troublesome," he muttered.

 _He would normally run when those rough kids started to come around him and called him 'brains', 'nerd' or whatever, he did not want to fight, he hated annoying people._

 _But this time it was different, when his friend is on the line, seeing them cornering Chocho and calling her names, it was too much._

 _He never knew he could fight that well, his mind faded out and only returned when he found himself straddling the boy, his gang backing off in fear, and the face completely swollen from the punches he landed on him_.

Temari smiled at her boy, she knew that he always had a tender spot for his friend, but to have him do something so radical, it was rare.

Something had to be done, she knew that Shikadai knew what was wrong and right, but there was something more important.

She saw how Shikadai's eyes glittered when Choji went into the room, like herself, he was expecting his father to show up.

He was expecting his father to come and defend him, not that his mother was not good enough to do that, but it was something that a father would do.

He wanted someone to wrap his arm around his shoulders and tell him that everything is alright.

He just wanted his father to be here.

But he wasn't.

Temari said nothing as she pulled up into the garage.

* * *

 _You need to talk to Temari, your kid got into trouble in school today for defending Chocho._

Shikamaru swore at the phone as he saw Choji's text message.

He did not get a call, a voicemail from the school - perhaps it had already knew from experience that Mr. Nara would not be free for parent-teacher meetings, it was always Temari who attended.

He looked at the clock, if he leave now, he would be just in time for dinner.

He looked down at the stack of documents he needed to go through.

"Aoi," he waved at his secretary, a middle-aged woman who was sitting there, waiting for her boss to dismiss her.

"Yes, Mr. Nara?"

"You may go," he said, taking his briefcase. "So will I."

He hurried his way home, he had not been so early for months, he thought to himself.

Gently, he inserted the key and unlocked the door.

"I'm home," he said.

"You're home," he heard her voice, she sounded tired and irritated, but somehow she sounded surprised. "You are early."

"I...erm...thought we need to talk," he walked inside the house, and looked around. "Where is Shikadai?"

"He's upstairs," Temari was cooking, her hands busy in peeling the potatoes.

Shikamaru frowned, as he took a step closer. "Temari…"

"Go talk to your son," she said softly, but sternly. "Try to be there when he needs you."

"I…"

"Go."

Shikamaru found himself irritated for no reason, and turned to walk upstairs.

 _Knock._

"Yes?"

"Shikadai?" He cleared his throat. "Can I come in?"

The door unlocked and opened, Shikamaru stared at the miniature version of him, staring at him with the same brilliant green eyes his mother has.

"We need to talk."

* * *

Author's note:

Another chapter! :D Expect a lot of interactions next chapter :)

Enjoy and review!

V.S.V


	4. Everything

Shikamaru entered the room, his son sat down on the bed, dressed in his pajamas, Shikamaru could see clearly the few patches of bruises on his hand.

He frowned and looked up at his son - his green eyes staring at the wall of the room.

"So I have heard, you got into a fight in school." Shikamaru looked at the ground, the wooden floor spelt nothing.

"Uh huh." He replied in a grunt. "I only did it out of self defence."

Shikamaru shifted uneasily in his seat. "I understand, I once did something like that."

"You too?" Shikadai arched an eyebrow. "But isn't that really troublesome…"

"Indeed it was troublesome," the older man scratched the back of his hand.

"That's so not like you, old man." Shikadai smirked and leaned back, as he lay down, his smirk faded and his lips thinned into a line.

"I know," Shikamaru nodded in agreement. "It was not like something I would do," he said softly. "But I did it anyway."

 _His mind floated back to the bar restaurant, when he almost got into a fight with a silver-haired man, over no one but_ _ **her.**_

Shikadai nodded emotionlessly. "Well, so what do you want to talk about?" Hi son's voice pushed him back to reality.

"Erm…" His fingers shifted as he played with them. "I know that you're upset, that…"

"I wasn't upset," he pouted, and turned his back towards his father.

Shikamaru smiled at himself, this was what Temari would do when she used to get mad at him...well at least when she still bothered to get mad at him, that is.

"Son," he bit his lip a little. "I...eh, damn this is troublesome. I am sorry for not being there for you when you needed me," he said it in the most straightforward way he could think of. "I didn't know what is the right thing to do…"

Shikadai turned back at him, staring at him with confused green eyes. "I knew I am probably one of the worst dads you can possibly have."

"Yes you are," Shikadai snapped, his arms folding in front of his chest. "Mom used to tell me that you are always here, taking care of me and her, but as I went to school, I don't remember seeing you as much."

"I had a lot of work, you know," Shikamaru scratched his head again. "Especially now that the Corporation has grown so immensely, I couldn't just leave everything…"

"I understand you have responsibilities, dad." Shikadai sat up, looking at him with his shining green eyes. "But as much as you have responsibilities as the boss of your company, you also have responsibilities here as a father, as a husband."  
"Do you hate me Shikadai?"

"I understand," Shikadai said softly. "But the thing is if you can be here for more time, it would be great."

"I know," he stared down gloomily. "Your mom must hate me." He ruffled his hair through his head.

"She should," Shikadai shrugged. "But when it comes to stuff like this, she is pretty troublesome."

Shikamaru smiled painfully at his son. "Right."

"You better go and cheer mom up now, before she blows." Shikadai half pushed his father out of his room. "Before she kills you."

Shikamaru flashed his son one last smile.

* * *

His smile faded as he walked towards the kitchen, Temari was leaning at the refridgerator.

"Temari," he said, she did not turn around.

He moved forward, and another step forward.

He stood next to her, she could feel his breath, warm and hasty on her neck.

"Temari, we need to talk."

Temari looked up and glared at him, her emerald green eyes were filled with anger and sadness.

"Talk then." Temari folded her arms in front of her chest.

"I am sorry," he said, his hand on her shoulder.

She pushed it off, and moved a step away from him. "I don't need your apology."

"No, you do, so does Shikadai," he said, walking up to her again. He held her by the shoulders.

Temari said nothing, she only looked away from his face.

"Temari, I want you to know that I love you." He said. "Troublesome as it is, you are the only one that I love."

"How can you love someone without caring about them?" Temari brushed his hand off her shoulder.

She stared at him deadly in the eye, filled with confusion and sadness.

"You are not the Nara Shikamaru I married." Temari said coldly. "The Nara Shikamaru I married was lazy, always complaining, a heck of a crybaby, but he cared, he cared about people around him … he was loving, caring, not this workaholic robot I see right now."

"Temari...I," he took a deep breath, trying to calm his nerves. "I... I worked hard, so that I could provide for you, and for Shikadai."

"You are supposed to be smart, aren't you? You know how to delegate work don't you?"

"I couldn't trust them entirely, especially when the company is making such important business decisions." Shikamaru knocked his fist onto the wall. "I always thought you wanted me to work hard and take things seriously."

"Where were you for all the important moments? Where were you when Shikadai won the district champion for shogi? Where were you for Shikadai's last birthday? Where were you for our last anniversary? Working. That was all that is on your mind. Work, work, work - you are not the Shikamaru I know."

Shikamaru found himself speechless, as his wife huffed, her face red with anger.

"I… all I wanted was for you to be here for Shikadai, for our family." Temari sighed exasperatedly. "If you're talking about money, I get a lot of dividends from my shares in Suna Corporation."

She looked at him. "You don't have to carry everything on your shoulders."

Shikamaru sighed softly. "Why are we doing this?"

"Because you've changed, so have I." Temari said softly, heartbrokenly. "We will never be the same again."

"Temari," he raised his hand towards her, only to have her duck out of his grasp and headed to the room.

He followed her, and waited outside the locked door of their room.

"Temari."

 _No answer._ All he could hear was opening and closing of cupboards.

Almost ten minutes, he waited.

The gruelling feeling burned inside him, now he kind of understood how Temari waited for him at home, not being able to see him.

She lived this life for years - how could she not hate him?

She opened the door, dressed in a black mid-sleeve dress and heels, her face was painted with light makeup, in her hand clutched a black purse.

"I am going out." She said, ignoring her husband who stood there, puzzled.

"Where are you going?" He felt like he was clinging onto a log in a cold drifting sea, and she was his only way to survival, he stared at her in desperation.

"It doesn't matter," she snapped. "The curry is almost done, just put it on the rice."

She slammed the door behind her, as Shikamaru stared at the door hollowly.

The sound of the door closing echoed in his mind, conking him in his head.

"What's wrong?" A wild haired Shikadai rushe downstairs, his book still in his hand.

"Everything." Shikamaru sighed, as he pressed his face onto his palm. "Everything."

* * *

Author's note:

Well, please try to brace yourself, you guys know me :3 An itch to write another chapter (hopefully your hears are still strong enough)

Side note: Did anyone see the new Naruto shippuden episode today: Shikamaru and Temari as kids are absolutely adorable, I just wish they could stop making these throw back fillers and get to the Shikamaru hiden already :D

Anyway, enjoy!

V.S.V xoxo


	5. Temari's outing

She found herself nostalgically staring at the old, but familiar site.

The music hummed as it struggled to escape from the walls of the club, Temari was not sure whether she should go in, surely she must be too old for this, she smiled at herself.

 _Just a drink,_ she thought to herself. _Just a drink._

She stood in line, noticing that she was surrounded by boys and girls barely older than Shikadai.

"Oi, hot blondie," the bouncer pointed at her, she did not remember this guy, after all, it had been years since she last came here.

"You're in," the man approached and removed the line next to her, gesturing for her to follow him.

She strolled and walked into the club - music blazed and rumbled her eardrums.

The settings were basically unchanged, save for the extra floodlights and beams that dazzled one's eyes. She headed to her usual seat at the bar, and waved at the bartender.

"Vodka." She smiled at the bartender, who nodded and obliged.

The small cup of transparent liquid presented itself in front of her.

She found herself sneering, before downing the entire cup.

The liquid burned in her throat, she frowned as it rolled down - it had been a long time since she had had a shot of vodka, not after Shikadai was born, she remembered.

 _Vodka, eh? How troublesome._

She jerked her head around, only to see young men and women twirling around themselves, rocking their youthful bodies against one another.

In a blink, the flash of the lights, she thought she saw her twenty something self, leaning on a well-toned body, half annoyed by the crowd, half-smirking from the attention he was getting from her.

 _The guy who muttered troublesome, but voiced no objection as her hands wandered around him._

"Troublesome," she smiled at herself as she muttered. "Another vodka, please."

The bartender whipped it up and put it in front of her.

Temari rested her head on her hand, as she stared at the colourless liquor,

She closed her eyes, as she fell deep in thought.

 _His face began to emerge in front of her._

 _Thin brows, slit-like, almond shaped eyes paired with a tall nose and thin lips._

 _His expression was half annoyed, half relaxed, his lips curled into a curve._

" _Good morning," he said, ruffling his shoulder length dark hair. "How are you feeling Mrs. Nara?"_

" _Tch," she rubbed her eyes, smiling back at him. "I need to get used to that name."_

 _He leaned forward to kiss her, pressing his lips onto hers, sealing her grin into a liplock._

 _He turned and pinned her down at the bed, moving his hands down her bare body._

A tingle of colliding wine glasses brought her back to the present reality, she opened her eyes and found her shot glass still filled with vodka.

A silent drop of tear rolled down her face and fell into her shot glass, causing a ripple over the tiny surface.

She shook her head and poured it down her throat. A faint taste of saltiness burned in her throat.

She raised her hand at the bartender again.

"Give me a martini this time," she dabbed on corner of her eyes with the piece of napkin the bartender had handed to her.

The bartender nodded as he busied himself. She closed her eyes again.

" _Guess what." She was leaning against the door frame, a proud smirk hanging on her face._

" _What?" Shikamaru arched an eyebrow as he turned from the mirror, his hand still adjusting his shirt sleeve._

" _I am pregnant." She waved a white stick gently in her hand, on it was a small pink cross.  
The clap of the cufflinks fixing itself echoed in the room.  
_" _You are?" He walked up towards her slowly, cautiously._

 _She nodded with a pouting mouth. "Do you look like I am kidding?"_

 _He finally came close enough to press his hands gently on her still-flat abdomen._

 _He looked up at her, she was smirking, proudness brimming from her brilliantly meadowy eyes._

 _His eyes began to well up in tears, his face breaking into a heartfelt grin._

" _Erm Mr. Crybaby? I would appreciate if you could give me something in return." She arched an eyebrow, trying not to break into tears herself._

" _Of-of course," he pressed his lips onto hers._

" _I love you," he whispered. She buried her head onto his shoulder as her arms wrapped around his body._

"Martini," the bartender put down the glass, complete with the little umbrella and olive on a toothpick.

She stirred the drink, the pointy end of the paper umbrella glided and sliced across the surface of the liquid, changing colour as the beams of lights flashed.

She savoured it slowly, the smooth taste of the drink gently enveloped her tongue and washed down her throat.

 _She opened her eyes tiredly after one loud cry, she looked around and saw the nurse holding a small bundle in her hands._

 _She turned her head a little and saw him, his face tearful from joy, he wiped his face with his sleeve and knelt down next to her._

" _Thank you, Temari." He clasped her hand in his. The nurse handed him the newborn child, he looked at it with adoration._

" _He is beautiful," Temari leaned over and gazed upon her son's face, and found herself smiling brightly._

 _Shikamaru held him closer to her and rested his head against her._

" _Thank you for coming to our family, Shikadai." He said softly, before pressing a kiss onto Temari's cheek._

A painful smile began to form on her face, her body began to shiver - she laughed, hysterically, as tears rolled silently down her face.

"Are you okay?" The bartender asked her with concern, she shook her head.

"Bring me another martini, please," she said.

She waited for the bartender, sighing; she shuddered at the touch on her shoulder.

She turned around, her expression puzzled.

"You…"

 _It was as if time froze at that moment, she wasn't sure whether it was the alcohol or simply the person standing in front of her._

 _She wasn't sure anymore._

* * *

Author's note:

Another chapter! Updates are a bit late because I am sick :(

Anyway, guess who the mysterious person is :D Enjoy!

V.S.V xoxo


	6. Sink with me

**NOTE: This is a revised version, the 'free sample' line has been removed after given due consideration.  
I have not read the story that has the alleged line, and am sorry to not have given due credits to spilihp17.  
Thank you for your kind attention and I apologise for the misunderstanding. **

* * *

He stood behind her, smiling at her painfully.

"Let's go home," he said softly, waiting for her to stand.

 _She could recognise his voice anywhere_. _The only thing she was not sure was whether she was dreaming._

 _No, the alcohol was still warm in her stomach, so this must be real._

"Why are you here?" She asked, almost whimpering, her hand resting on his arm.

"To get you home," he smiled again, helping her up. "It's already late."

He slung her arm across his shoulder, his other hand fished out some cash for the bartender.

Together they went outside. Temari shuddered at the cool breeze blowing across the quiet street.

He took off his coat and draped it over her shoulders. She pulled the coat close to her.

Shikamaru said nothing, only walking next to her quietly.

The two walked for a distance, the music of the club fading out.

"You don't have to do this," she said softly, only the sound of her heels hitting the ground echoed.

"Don't be so troublesome, you know I have to - I can't let you wander around late at night." He sighed, his hands shoved in his pocket. "The curry was good, by the way. We saved you some."

"Hmph," she raised her head and looked towards the other side of the road.

The two fall back into silence, still walking side by side.

He opened the door for her to enter the car, she sat there as he got in and started the engine.

They sat there side by side, the soft music played and echoed in her ears.

She looked out of the window, and watched the streetlights flooding by.

Shikamaru kept his eyes on the road, but his mind kept playing back to what just happened.

 _He sat there with his son, his spoon crashing against the dish every time he sunk it into the rice and curry mixture._

" _You know dad," Shikadai said, cleaning his plate. "You should go look for mom."_

 _Shikamaru said nothing in return, finishing his plate in silence, he took the dishes into the kitchen and put them into the dishwasher._

 _He stood there and think to himself._

 _Where could she be?_

 _She carried little, so she was not going to Suna to see her brothers._

 _Temari would not be meeting with her friends, at least no on such a short notice._

 _She was probably going out alone, or was she?_

 _Perhaps she would meet up with an old flame, Neji, perhaps?_

 _No, he refused to think of her as a cheating woman, surely cheating would be a troublesome affair to her, just as it was to him._

 _She needed a moment alone, that was the most probable answer._

 _But after that moment alone, she still needed someone to be here for her._

 _And if that person wasn't him, who would it be?_

 _That moment, he decided to go look for her, he drove his car around town, when it suddenly hit him that she would go back to where it all started - the very same club they met._

 _He got inside, and sat there, quietly observing her._

 _He found himself smiling, as she ordered her first vodka - she was still the same when it came to drinks._

 _His smile eventually faded as tears began to roll down her face._

 _He sat there, quietly, emotionlessly, as he observed her, how she seemed lost in thought when she stared into her drink, into the dancing crowd, befuddled in the conking music._

 _He couldn't hear her hysterical laugh, but he could see it._

 _He saw no joy, but pain, and he knew very well that it was a pain that only he could heal._

 _Damn the way it is, but that is the only way._

 _That was the moment he decided to move._

 _He thought of pulling her into his arms, pressing a kiss on her forehead and tell her everything is alright._

 _But Temari is not like any other woman, she does not need someone patronizing her._

 _She demands respect, and that is what he is going to give her._

 _Respect._

* * *

"We are home," he held her gently by the shoulder, she was not drunk, but she was not entirely comfortable on her own. He helped her onto the sofa, before walking into the kitchen and returning to her side with a glass of warm water.

"Here," he passed her the glass, she took it without a word.

Shikamaru said nothing as he sat down, a feet away from her. He reached for the remote control and switched on the television.

As the new anchor began to speak, Temari reached out for the remote and turned the volume low.

"Shikadai is sleeping," she said softly.

Shikamaru uttered a sound of agreement. He laid comfortably against the sofa, his arm casually slung behind Temari's back and rested there.

Temari did not flinch, she stared at the profile of his face nostalgically.

 _This was just like before._

"You know, Temari." Shikamaru began to spoke, his voice was soft but stern. "I don't think anything can go wrong in our relationship anymore."

Temari didn't say anything, all she did was smile painfully.

"But the thing is, no matter how fucked up we are, how desperate you think our situation is," he said after a deep breath. "I just want you to know I mean to keep my promise."

 _His promise._

"I promised, I will never hurt you."

 _Did he now? Temari thought she had forgotten, but no._

"Everything I said that day, I meant it." He looked at her with his dark obsidian eyes. "Every word of my wedding vow, I meant it from the bottom of my heart."

She stared back at her with her emerald green eyes, as her mind floated back to that day.

 _She smiled, brightly like the shining sun._

" _Your wedding vows, Mr. Nara?"_

" _It is such a drag," he whispered with a lazy smile. "But here we go."_

 _Coughing, he cleared his throat._

 _Gently, he took her hand in his._

" _We have overcome a crazy amount of obstacles to get here today. I promise that I will not hurt you, and more importantly, I will love and treasure you until the day that I die. All I ask is for you to hold me and never let me go, just as I never would let you go."_

 _Temari remembered laughing a little, as she felt her tears of joy hanging around the corner of her eyes._

"I have never thought of it thoroughly enough," Shikamaru said, his eyes looking at her sadly. "I mean, saying 'I love you' is so easy nowadays."

Temari still said nothing, as her husband covered half of his face with his hand.

"I only figured how much I missed you when I realise that there is a real chance that you could be leaving." He said, something in his throat began to thicken. "I mean, I don't know how much we have fallen out of love, whether what is left is nothing but familial affection. But if it is possible, I want to fall back in love with you."

He looked up back at her, who was still staring at him without a word. "Whatever it takes."

Temari smiled painfully. "How do I know that this is not just some random flick you are pulling?"

"I am not the one who was drinking tonight," he joked, before returning to his serious-faced self. "I am being serious."

He took her hand in his, gently enveloping her smaller hand in his larger one.

"I promise I will change, I promise," he said. "I will never let you get hurt."

Temari looked down at her feet. Her other hand gently patting on his hand.

"We will see," she said dryly, smiling at him. "I want to trust you, Shikamaru, but you know, old habits die hard."

He somehow had a more relaxed expression on his face, gently releasing her hand, he stood up.

"I will go take a shower now," he said softly, she stared as he disappeared into the corridor.

She sighed softly, closing her eyes, she hoped that she had made a good decision for herself.

She was not sure whether she was throwing herself into a vortex of hurt again, but one thing is for sure.

If he was sinking with her, she would gladly drown.

* * *

Author's note:

Another chapter! I hope you enjoy it.

So here you go - they will try to make up (at least for the time being). I can't say for sure what will be coming up next :0

Anyway, enjoy!

V.S.V xoxo


	7. The Idea

Shikadai opened his eyes as his alarm clock went off. With a wipe of his sleeve, he cleaned the corner of his mouth as he sat up.

Faintly, he could hear the sound of utensils banging from the kitchen downstairs. Almost without hesitation, he left the bed and headed to the washroom.

Hastily, he brushed his teeth and washed his face, before heading back into his room to change into his school uniform.

He arched an eyebrow as he saw his father sitting at the dining table, a cup of hot coffee in front of him, flipping through the newspaper.

"Good morning," he said as he approached the dining table and sat down.

"Morning," he replied, his father's gaze never left the newspaper.

"I will be driving you to school," he said, Shikadai looked up and stared at him, surprised.

"But your office is the other way from my school."

"It doesn't matter, I will drop you off." Shikamaru flipped to another page of the newspaper.

Shikadai shrugged, hiding the tiny smile that hung on his face.

"Here, hurry up and eat your breakfast," he looked up and saw his mother, she put a plate in front of him, the steam from the freshly cooked food blurring his sight.

She sat down next to him, a cup of tea in her hand.

She sipped her tea quietly, as he ate his breakfast.

As he put down his knife and fork, his father closed the newspaper.

"Let's go," he downed the last sip of his coffee.

The father and son walked to the door, his mother followed.

"Shikadai," he turned around as she called his name, she patted on his shoulder and smiled.

"Call me when you are off from school," he nodded, smiling back at her.

His father turned towards the door. "We are leaving now," he said, clearing his throat.

"Be safe," she said, as Shikadai stepped out of the door.

Shikamaru took a deep breath, turning towards her, he smiled. "I will be back early tonight."

"Sure," she returned the smile, as he closed the door.

Her smile faded as his footsteps faded away.

A wave of guilt lurched around her stomach.

She appreciated the fact that he was trying, trying to make amends.

But that was because he thought he knew everything.

The truth was that, Shikamaru does not know everything.

She was not the perfect innocent victim he thought she was.

* * *

Shikadai stared at his father, as he turned at the corner of the street.

"Dad," he said, breaking the awkward silence inside the car. "So did you sort it out with mom yesterday?"

Shikamaru shrugged. "Sort of," he turned his steering wheel.

"Do you love mom?" He asked, staring mindlessly out of the window of the car.

"Of course I do," he replied, somehow startled by the question.

"Then why do you ignore her so much?"

"I am trying to make amends." He said, sighing softly. "I know it is difficult, I don't know whether this will work out, but I am going to try."

"Hmph," Shikadai slumped in his seat. "I thought you guys are going to get a divorce, or something."

"We looked that bad?" Shikamaru arched an eyebrow. "Damn."

"I mean," Shikadai shrugged. "You don't talk with each other, it was almost like you guys are strangers."

Shikamaru said nothing in return, he did not even realised that his marriage had fallen to such an extent without his son reminding him.

His silver wedding ring shone under the morning sun rays, the flash blinded him for a second.

The car slid seamlessly and stopped at the entrance of Shikadai's school.

"Here," he turned off the engine of the car. Shikadai looked at him with a puzzled expression on his face.

"You are getting off too?"

"Yeah, I am going to have a word with your teacher." He smiled at him with a firm hand scruffing his head. "Wait here."

Shikadai looked at his father, his lips turning upwards as he got off the car.

He could not hear what they were saying, but from the look of his teacher, his apologetic gesture and forced smile, he could not help but smile.

His dad shoved his hands in his pockets, dark eyes looking at the teacher nonchalantly as his lips parted and closed.

After almost five minutes, his father walked back to the car and opened the door on his side.

"Hop off," he smiled at him lazily. "Tell me if there is any more trouble, okay?"

Shikadai grinned at him, and nodded as he walked into the school gate.

Shikamaru waited until his son disappeared into the doors before starting his car.

* * *

She sat in the armchair comfortably, dressed elegantly in a white blouse and khaki coloured trousers, she held a small white cup of coffee in her hand.

He was late, like he always has been. She smiled with an exasperated sigh.

"Ah sorry, I am lost on the path called life, as usual." He approached and sat down opposite from her. His silver hair was laced with several white ones, fine wrinkles appeared around his lazy-looking eyes as he smiled beneath his mask. "And I bought you flowers."

He handed her a bunch of assorted flowers, bursting with colours.

"You always are," she pouted, smiling at him. "But thanks anyway."

She took a sip from her coffee as he made himself comfortable.

"So," he looked at her, the gaze from his drowsy-looking eyes sharp. "How have you been?"

"I am not so sure, not anymore." She put down the cup, the dark stain appearing like a dark flower against the white ceramic surface. "I was sure that this couldn't work anymore, but then last night, I...I don't know."

"Ah," he answered with his gaze fixated on her face. "It's like what I always told you, Temari."

She looked up, her green eyes fixated on his masked face. "About what, Kakashi?"

"You will never leave him." He sighed softly. "I told you, don't you remember? You love your husband, no matter how you complain, how you seemed to detest him, you will never leave him."

"Then what am I doing here Kakashi?" She sneered. "If I love him, I wouldn't be seeing you here, would I?"

"You know better," he laughed softly. "You are not here because you love me more than your husband, you are simply in love with the idea of me. The idea that when your husband busied himself with whatever, there is someone who can take care of you."

Temari smiled painfully. "Right."

"And in exchange," he held out his hand and pressed gently onto hers, the warmth of his hand tingled upon her skin. "I get to have the companionship of a beautiful woman, seems like a fair deal to me."

He called the waiter to the table, and gave him his credit card.

As the waiter returned with the bill, he shoved the card back in his pocket, and stood up, holding her hand in his.

"Let's go," he said softly, as he held her hand and helped her up. She voiced no protest as he took her hand and led her outside.

She knew that it was not right, she knew it all along.

But Kakashi, no the idea of Kakashi was too attractive, too tempting to ignore.

She comforted herself with the thought, and the radiating warmth from the older man's hand.

* * *

Author's note:

Another chapter! I have been rethinking the plot and this is how I decide that the story should go... prepare for more twists to come!

Enjoy! xoxo

V.S.V


	8. Tofu Stew

He stared at the mess he made, frowning as he clutched the cookbook in his hand.

There was no much work to be done at the company - he let everyone off early and decided to do something special for Temari. Flipping through the few cookbooks they had and asking the Internet for help, he finally managed to find the recipe to her favourite dish - tofu stew.

Now, as the spoils of his grocery adventure lay on the kitchen counter, he began to clean and cut the mushrooms. The diced tofu sat obediently in a bowl, as he went on cutting.

The door clicked as he threw everything into the pot, without any accident, the stew should be ready in thirty minutes.

"You are cooking dinner tonight?" Shikamaru nodded, as his son arched a suspicious eyebrow, his face worried for his supper.

At that moment, Shikamaru realised that Temari was not there.

If she was, she would probably press onto her forehead in frustration and take over the stove.

But she was not there.

"Hey Shikadai," he said as he wiped his hand clean, turning the flames to low.

"Yeah?"

"How's school?" He smiled at his son, who was stuck in the middle of the stairs.

"Good," he smiled back, his green eyes glittered like his mother's. "The discipline teacher just avoids me now," he said with a soft chuckle.

"Ah," he answered, a slight frown appeared on his face. "Do you know where is your mother?"

"Beats me," he shrugged. "She'd probably gone to do something troublesome."

"Right," he said with a soft sigh. "Go up and take a shower then, dinner should be ready soon."

Shikadai nodded before heading up the stairs.

Shikamaru shrugged, _perhaps she had something to do._

 _It was not like she had asked him when he was away._

He walked back into the kitchen and stared at the pot, as its content simmered.

* * *

"How do you like the restaurant?" He said, his hand gently holding hers. "I hope you enjoyed the tofu stew."

"Pretty good," she smiled back at him, as she turned away, her smile faded.

"What's wrong?" He asked in a considerate voice, smiling beneath his mask although he knew she would not know that he was smiling.

"Nothing," Temari shrugged. "It's just..I don't know, I think Shikamaru is trying to change."

"Good to hear," he said with a shrug. "At least you could save your marriage, right?"

"Aren't you worried that I won't see you again? if Shikamaru and I are happy and all." She teased, with a dry smile on her lips.

"Well," Kakashi sighed softly, gently squeezing her hand. "You might not spend that much time to keep me company, that might make me sad a little." He added a little laugh. "But then, I always wanted you to be happy."

"Hmph," she replied with a smile. "You know, you should really try to settle down, Kakashi."

"Why bother?" He shrugged. "I get to have different friends, beautiful women to keep me company, perhaps they are after my money, or my looks...or perhaps they just want someone to be with them, like yourself."

"Maybe you will find someone who can make you feel the way Shikamaru does to me," she said.

"Perhaps," he laughed dryly. "I am a bit too old for that, don't you think?"

She laughed softly and said nothing. "It's getting late," she said. "I should go home."

"Right," he said as he eyed upstairs, the light of her apartment was still on. "Ah, look where life has led us, we walked right back to your apartment."

"Then you have a long way to walk," she grinned at him.

"Goodbye," he gently wrapped her into his arms, she sighed as she rested her head on his shoulder.

"Bye Kakashi." She pushed him away gently after a minute, and turned around.

Kakashi stared as she entered the building, and disappeared into it, before turning around and started to walk.

The first thing that came to her mind was the smell.

It lingered in the house as she opened the door quietly, taking off her shoes, she heard a cough.

"You're back," he was sitting in the dining chair, eyeing the clock with his one opened eye.

 _11:20_. The arms of the clock read.

"Yeah," Temari smiled at him. "Smells good."

"Since you're not here, troublesome as it is, I have to cook for myself and the kid." He pointed to the kitchen. "You've probably eaten, but if you want, there's still some."

She walked inside and peered at the pot, surprised and almost guilt ridden to find her favourite dish, sitting in the pot and stared back at her.

"Wow, tofu stew," she said softly. "You went all out didn't you?"

"Wasn't much work today," he yawned. "I gave some to the others."

She helped herself - the fancy Japanese meal Kakashi treated her just now still lodged itself in her stomach, but she knew better.

"Looks good," as she held the spoon in her hand.

Digging in, the broth emerged with a diced cube of whiteness. She put the gleaming mix into her mouth and savoured.

The flavour was of course on different par, compared to the same dish she just ate at the restaurant.

But she could imagine.

 _Him cursing how troublesome it was to dice the tofu._

 _Him rolling his eyes when he read the cookbook, frustrated at which step he was up to._

 _Him staring at the door, waiting for her to come back; slowly dozing off and waking up again, only to see the pot untouched and time gone by._

 _Like she always does._

She took a second bite silently. He stared at her, observing her expression.

"I talked to Shikadai's teacher this morning," he said nonchalantly, dark eyes still fixated on her face.

"What did he say?" She asked, another bite went into her mouth.

"Well, he didn't say much." He replied. "I only told him, if the same thing happened again, Shikadai would do the same, and I would do the same myself."

She chuckled softly. "Does Shikadai know?"

"Know what?"

"That his dad was being such a badass." She laughed softly, he stared at her, his lips curving up as hers did.

Her gaze turned back at the tofu soup. A wave of guilt was swarming inside of her, she wanted to tell him about Kakashi, the man that she had been seeing for quite some time now.

She did not know how she should break it to him - _I am seeing this man, you used to work under him when you are young; he makes me happy when you don't, it's not like we are having sex or anything, we are just two souls that try to keep each other company in this city of coldness and desperation …_

She frowned.

This moment seemed to good, a bubble too perfect to be burst by a needle.

She was not even sure if you could call this an affair - like Kakashi said, she was not in love with Kakashi, she just wanted someone to be there for her when Shikamaru was not there.

If it was anyone else, she might have agreed to the arrangement as well, Kakashi's personal attributes does make a difference, but not as much as it seemed.

"Is it that bad?" SHe looked up and see him frowning at her, a slight hue of pink on his face. "I mean, troublesome, I don't cook all the time, so…"

"It's fine," she smiled at him. "I am just … not that hungry."

He shrugged and took the bowl, walking into the kitchen, she sat as the sound of water flowing echoed.

She sighed as she stood in the shower, water cascading over her body and hair.

Her frown remained as she walked out of the bathroom, dressed in an over-sized t-shirt that she used pyjamas.

The lights downstairs was turned off - which could only mean that Shikamaru was already in their room.

She went inside, he was sitting at the edge of the bed, dressed in a pair of boxers and holding a book in his hand, frowning as he read.

She said nothing as she sat at the dressing table, he noticed and put down the book, walking up to her back, he took the hairdryer and began to dry her hair without a word.

She stared at his reflection at the mirror, he was frowning, focused as he aimed the hairdryer towards her hair.

"All done," he pressed his hand onto her shoulders, pressing his head atop of hers.

"Thanks," she smiled faintly.

He reached down and took her hand. "Let's go to bed, cooking is really exhausting."

She chuckled softly, turning off the lights, they laid down on the bed.

Temari was sleeping on her side, her back was facing him.

She could feel his arm reaching over, pulling her closer as he murmured.

"I am tired," she said.

"I know," he said softly. His hands stayed on her, as he turned silent, and started to snore softly afterwards.

She closed her eyes, hoping that in her sleep she could find someway to tell him.

* * *

Author's note:

Another short chapter! I kind of forgot that I was working on it lol

Anyway, enjoy! Let's hope that they will salvage their relationship and live happily ever after ... will they?

Thanks for the views and review xoxo

V.S.V


	9. Something New

Shikadai was sitting in his class - bored as he waited for his friends to come back from the tuckshop. He tapped his fingers on the desk, when suddenly three unfamiliar figures entered the room.

While their school had school uniforms, the dress code was not strictly adhere to - here he saw three students, the two boys looked relatively normal, but the girl - he frowned at the sight.

Her blonde hair was styled in a strange, punk way that one strand cascaded across her forehead and brushed the bridge of her nose. Her turquoise eyes, lined with burgundy-coloured eyeliner glanced around the classroom as the rest of the class stared in awe, a pink bubble emerged from her pouting pink lips and snapped, disappearing with a pop.

Shikadai frowned. "What a drag," he muttered.

The girl turned and fixed her gaze upon him. "You, over there with the pineapple hair."

Something about her cockiness irritated him, he closed one of his eye and stared at her.

"What do you want?"

She turned around and faced the taller boy standing next to her, whose cold face reminded him of someone. "That's your cousin, right, Shinki?"

Shikadai's green eyes widened, as the tall boy locked eyes with him, he slowly approached him and stood next to him.

Shikadai raised his head and stared. "Shinki… you are uncle Gaara's kid…"

"Hello," he said politely. "It's nice to see you, Shikadai. My father sends his regards."

Shikadai shuddered, his uncle Gaara was very nice and well, very polite towards him, which made him slightly uncomfortable, but his mother told him not to mind.

"What are you doing here?" Shikadai stood up to face his cousin, whose expression remained unchanged.

"We are on exchange here, for the remaining time of the year." His cousin attempted a soft smile. "It looks like we'll be seeing each other for quite a lot, my father had arranged for us to stay at the house next to yours."

Shikadai shrugged. "Fine with me, as long as you don't cause trouble…"

His gaze turned once again to the girl, who had made herself comfortable with her friend at one of the tables at the back.

He sighed again and ended with a smile on his face - this is interesting.

* * *

Shikamaru was working in the office, it was around four o'clock in the afternoon.

His phone rang, as he picked it up, it was a familiar, yet unexpected number.

"Hello," he said.

"Shika-nii." A girl's voice came through the phone, he smiled - it was Sarutobi Mirai, his late mentor Asuma's daughter. "I want to ask you a favour."

He could almost hear her embarrassed smile over the phone. "Go ahead."

"You know, university wants us to intern somewhere, since I have some time on my hands, I was wondering if I can be a part-time intern in your company…"

"Sure, why not?" He said, almost with a laugh. "Just come in when you're free, and we will see what jobs we have for you."

"Really? Thank you so much Shika-nii! You are the best!" Her overjoyed voice over the phone made him laugh involuntarily. He hung up afterwards.

He looked over at the stack of paperwork he had, and sighed softly.

He picked up the phone and dialed.

"Hello?" Her voice was normal, calm and composed, just like she always is - but it was not her voice when she talked to him.

"Hey," he said softly, gently. "I might be a bit late today, think I won't be back before eight."

"Oh," she replied. "Shinki and his friends are coming over for dinner, it's their first night in Konoha."

"Right, I almost forgot." He slammed his hand onto his forehead. "Do you need me to buy anything."

"No." _He wished she could at least ask him to do something, that way he could actually help her._

"Well, I guess I will see you later then."

"Mm hmm." An awkward silence ensued for a period of time.

"Bye Temari," he said, hesitating as he said the next sentence. "I love you."

The other end of the phone went silent for a while. "...I love you too."

He waited until she hung up, not sure how to feel.

They were not accustomed to display their affection in such an abrupt manner, not even when they were first married.

It only hit him then how long have he not told her he loved her.

The words was so rarely used, it sounded strange coming out from his lips; it sounded even more weird, even forced to hear it from her on the other side of the phone.

He shook his head in dismay - _just how bad is his marriage?_

* * *

Shikadai cursed his luck, as the three new students walked with him.

"There is no need to be so upset," Shinki said. "We are not going to cause you any trouble."

Shikadai sighed. "It's just my face, besides, I don't think you will cause me trouble - but…"

He glanced at the girl. "You have a problem?" She snapped, taking off one side of her ear phones. "I can still hear you."

He sighed again. "Nevermind."

Opening the door of his house, he took off his shoes. "We are home," he said, as the three followed him inside.

Temari walked out of the kitchen and smiled at the four youngsters. "Welcome home, and hello Shinki."

"Aunt Temari," he greeted her with a polite smile. "Father and Uncle Kankuro sends their regards."

"Tell me more about them, why don't you just hang out for a while when I finish cooking." Temari smiled at them before walking into the kitchen. "I will pour you guys some juice."

The teenagers sat on the sofa, as Shikadai walked into the kitchen.

"Let me help," he took over the bottle of juice and began to pour the liquid into the cups.

Temari smiled at him. "Thank you, Shikadai."

He shrugged with a smile. "When will dad be home?"

Temari's smile faded from her face. "Well, he said he will be late."

"Again?"

"He is busy."

"He is always busy, didn't you tell him that today we have guests?"

"I did," Temari said gloomily. "How was school today?"

"Got a surprise when these three came into the room, but it was fine - except for that girl Yodo…"

"What about Yodo?" Temari recalled her face - she was different, pretty in her own way.

"She is troublesome," he pressed onto his forehead. "Even more troublesome than you, mom."

Temari smiled a little. _She had heard that somewhere…_

"Well, try to play nice." She said, sending him out of the kitchen. "Now, go and talk to them."

Shikadai sighed before leaving the kitchen with a tray of cups.

Temari sighed softly as she continued to cook.

* * *

Dinner began when the five of them sat around the table - Shinki and Araya - the third member of the three, ate quietly. Temari asked them questions about Suna, they replied politely.

They were in the middle of dinner when the door opened, Temari put down her chopsticks.

"You're back," she said, gently. "I thought you said you won't be back until eight so we started…"

"It's okay," he replied as he took off his shoes. "Hi kids."

The four of them greeted him accordingly, as he walked into the kitchen to clean his hands.

A minute later, he returned to the table, and ate quietly.

Temari picked up her chopsticks and continued to eat.

The dining table was awfully silent.

Yodo, sitting next to Shikadai, nudged him gently with her elbow.

He frowned as he turned his head towards her. "What now?"

"Your parents - are they always like that?" Yodo arched an eyebrow as she whispered.

Shikadai frowned. "Tch, troublesome," he turned back to his dinner.

Yodo shrugged and continued eating.

The youngsters offered to do the cleaning, and so Temari was sitting in the living room, preparing tea.

Shikamaru sat in an armchair, silently observing her as she poured the hot liquid from the teapot into the small cups.

"So, how's everything?" He could not think of anyway to initiate a conversation.

"It's good." She replied in a short sentence, he looked up and tried to continue the dialogue.

"So, Mirai called me today."

"Oh, did she?"

"Yes," he stroked his goatee. "She wanted to work as a part-time intern in the company, so I let her."

"Ah, good for her then." She smiled faintly as she stood up. "I will check on the four of them in the kitchen."

"Sure." He said as she turned her back on him and walked away.

 _Why did her silhouette looked so frail, so lonely?_ He wondered.

He had not paid attention to her for quite some time - she seemed much thinner than she did when Shikadai was a few years old.

He wondered as the youngsters returned to the living room, they began to chat as he drank the tea his wife prepared - it was bitter, kind of like her presence when she was with him.

* * *

Shikadai was entrusted by his mother to take the youngsters to their home - which was located right next door.

As Shinki and Araya entered the house, the blonde troublesome girl stopped him.

"Something is wrong with your parents." She said, almost determinedly.

"Tch, even if there is, it has nothing to do with you." Shikadai attempted to push her gently out of the way, but she grabbed hold of his arm.

He frowned and glared at her. "What's your problem?"

"You can help them fix it," Yodo said, almost in a crossed voice. "You can."

"Like how?"

"Find out what the problem is, fix it with them." Her eyes dimmed. "Before it is too late."

Shikadai broke her grip and straightened his clothes. "I don't need you to tell me."

He walked away as the blonde girl turned back into the house with a sigh.

* * *

Shikadai had gone to bed, and he stared at Temari's back as they laid on the bed.

He reached out and took a strand of her blonde hair in between his fingertips, curling it around his finger. He brushed his finger along her neck, as she turned around and looked at him with her big green eyes - he did not remember them to be as dimmed, they used to be covered in great brilliance, shining even in the darkest hour.

"Hmm?" She stared at him, he stared back.

"It's nothing, it's just...I haven't looked at you like this for a very long time."

Temari blinked. "Anything new?"

He laughed softly, as he traced her face with his hand.

"We haven't talk like this for quite some time too." Temari smiled at him, as his hand rested on her face.

He leaned forward to kiss her, his eyes closed - she did not move, as his lips pressed onto hers, she closed his eyes.

He pulled her close, his hand tracing the curves of her body.

She pressed onto his shoulder and gently pushed him away.

"I am tired, Shikamaru."

He smiled at her with a glint of disappointment in his eyes. He pulled her close, regardless, sighing into her hair.

Temari snuggled closer to him, and sighed softly.

"I am sorry," she said softly, only to have him responding by pulling her closer.

"Don't be," he said.

Temari said nothing, as tears rolled down her face quietly.

She had so much to tell him, she did not even know where to start.

She felt guilty in his arms, but she wanted to stay.

Closing her eyes, she tried to fall asleep.

And another day has passed.

* * *

Author's note:

Another chapter! Once you start writing, you kind of can't stop ..

There is kind of a pattern to this story ... it's like a day in their lives as it crumbles (hopefully not in the end but anyways)

Enjoy! Thanks for the reviews and all the love xoxo

V.S.V


	10. Watchful Eye

He was reading through the documents in his office when there was a gentle knock on his door.

"Come in," he said without looking up.

"Shika-nii," Mirai walked inside with a binder in her hand, in her other hand was a steaming white cup. "They want me to bring you this - they said it's the factory's processing reports for this month."

"Thanks, just put it over there," he pointed at the side of his table, where there are already a few binders sitting there, waiting to be read.

Mirai put it down, and looked at Shikamaru for a second before putting down the cup on his table.

She walked out of the room silently - it was not until the aroma of the caffeine filled his nostrils when he noticed the cup.

Affixed on the cup was a piece of memo paper, in Mirai's rather round handwriting.

 _Don't push yourself too hard!_

 _Mirai :D_

He smiled as he looked up, through the glass walls of his office, he saw her back at her seat, typing up the documents his secretary had assigned her.

Carefully, he took the memo and turned, trying to find a place to pin it up on the cork board next to the cupboard.

Beneath some other work related memos, he found a spot for the little yellow paper - as he pinned it down, he glanced.

There was another piece, old, a bit wrinkling, the markings are already a bit faded, but the handwriting was unmistakable - elegant yet a bit unrestrained, _just like her._

 _Make sure you eat on time, don't push yourself._

 _Mari_

It was his wife's. He could not remember when she wrote this - she rarely came to his office nowadays.

He tried to recall the last time she scolded him for not putting on a scarf in the cold, or coming home late slightly tipsy …

He could not.

Where had his nagging, troublesome wife gone? That quiet, calm woman back at his house was not her.

He took that piece of memo off from the cork board, and opened his wallet, wanting to put it into the plastic file.

He stared, as the photo of his wife stared back at him - her brilliant green eyes shining from the film, her grin almost blinding - he could not remember when and where this was taken.

It had to be some years ago.

 _Where had all the years gone?_

 _What happened to him and her?_

He sighed again as he dived into his work again.

* * *

"Are you going to tell him?" The silver haired man sat as she drank for her porcelain cup.

Temari looked down for a second. "I am thinking about how to break it to him," she said. "I don't think he will forgive me."

"Not even if he knew what happened to you?" Kakashi's dark brown eyes widened. "Wait a minute, are you telling me that he doesn't know?"

"No one knows, well, except you," she shrugged. "I didn't tell anyone."

"Don't you think he should know?"

"It was a difficult time back then, you know, his father and all that." She took another sip from the cup. "It was chaotic, everything was a mess, he didn't need this other thing on his mind - besides, it was not confirmed."

"Not confirmed at that time, that is." He sighed. "You should see yourself when you walked into that psychologist's office, you look dead, no, worse than dead."

"Said someone who went to a psychologist for more than fifteen years." She sneered, and laughed a little.

"Mine is different," Kakashi rolled his eyes a little, before looking back at her with a stern gaze. "I mean, my trauma is irreversible, you… well you plunged yourself deeper than you should."

"Hmph." She said nothing as she took another sip.

"Temari," he said softly, his hand gently enveloping her hand that rested on the glass table. "You should tell him."

"How?"

"Just tell him the truth, everything - think on the bright side, your little affair does not really count - we just hung out, talked, it was more of a mental thing." He smiled beneath his mask. "You were fragile, think of it as I took advantage of your vulnerability if that would make you feel better; you could have been the good wife that took everything in herself, but the bad guy you met at the psychologist, I wanted you to share my pain, my loneliness - it wasn't your fault."

Temari laughed painfully, as she looked back at Kakashi with her dimly lit green eyes.

"But it is - you can't do things like this without the consent of both parties - when you spoke to me, I responded; when you asked me out, I went; when you held my hand, I didn't flinch… I am equally guilty."

She could feel his grip on her hand tighten. "Can't you just be a little selfish? Don't take everything in yourself - everything will come back to haunt you." He said sternly, his tight grip loosening by a bit. "Not just this, but everything."

Temari gently shook off his grasp. "I know." She said plainly. "They already did."

Kakashi stared at her in both disbelief and sadness. "You don't have to think this way."

Temari shook her head with a soft sigh. "I know, but I can't."

Her hand gently travelled to her chest as she pressed onto where her heart is. "Don't you think it is amazing how one wound to your heart, can lead to pouring out of all the bad things that ever happened to you?"

Kakashi sighed. "I can't help you, it took me years to step out of the shadows - I don't know how long it will take you."

"Your nagging already helps," she smiled gently. He smiled back with his masked face, as he reached over and took her hand, helping her up.

"Maybe you should try and open up a bit more to him, you tried before, haven't you?" Kakashi said, his voice coated with concern. "If you can't tell him everything at once, you can do it slowly."

"Yeah," she said, looking down at the ground.

He brushed the strands of her blonde locks to the back of her ear. "You look better when you're happy," he said gently. "Call me if you need me."

Temari nodded, leaning forward, she gave him a squeeze, only to be caught in his arms, pulling her into a long embrace.

Temari did not move, as her arms slowly wrapped around him.

"I just want you to be happy, Temari," he said, closing his eyes. "Like what you told me, back then."

Temari sighed softly and parted from the embrace. "See you, Kakashi."

The silver-haired man watched as the blonde lady walked out of the cafe.

Unknowingly, they were being watched, the careful eye saw everything, blinking before disappearing into the crowd again.

* * *

Author's note:

Now: what happened to Temari in the past? How does it link her up with Kakashi? And most importantly - who was watching them?

Questions questions ... well they will be answered - soon :D

Another short update! I hope you guys enjoy xoxo will update again after my exam!

V.S.V


	11. Hurt

For a very long time, Temari had not been so scared - she thought she had already lost everything, there was nothing to be feared in the world, not even death.

Until this moment, as she stared at the door, waiting for her husband to come back.

She was scared, so scared that the hairs on the back of her neck was standing, that she could feel sweat condensing in her palms.

She had pictured his face in her mind, his face when she tells him.

 _Sadness. Anger. Disappointment…_ all of these had gone through her mind, even the worst case scenario - that he did not care, that everything he tried to do was fake, maybe he had his own little affair, and he was only making it up to her because he was equally guilty.

Perhaps, this might be their last conversation as man and wife.

She tapped on the table anxiously, he should be back anytime now.

It was the perfect opportunity for the two of them to sort it out, she made sure that Shikadai would not be present - he was tasked to tour around the city with the three visitors.

They would be alone when everything come crashing down.

No matter what happens today, she is going to tell him.

Or at least, that was what she thought when the sound of keys turning rang in her ear.

The door opened slowly as he entered, he looked up at her, tired.

The frustration evident from his face was alarming, she kept her calm, as he approached the table.

"Tell me it isn't true." He said as he sat down, looking at her straight in the eye. _He simply could not hold it in anymore, he promised himself he would be calm and ask, but he could not._

Temari stared back. "What?" Her eyes widened in realisation.

 _He found out, before she could tell him._

"You, and Kakashi," he sucked his teeth, as he pressed his hand on the table. "It has to be a mistake."

"You knew," she said, her voice shaking as she reached for a cup that was not there.

"So it's true," he sat back in defeat, his eyes widening as he stared at her calm face.

"It is." She replied, putting her hands on her knees.

"Since when?" _He wanted answers._

"We met a few months after your father passed away," she looked away and stared at the blank wall. _If only he could listen_.

"Until now - that is a very long time, like, almost eight years." He said with a cold laugh. "Almost half of the time of our marriage."

 _How could she? It was a difficult time, they had it rough… but how could she?_

Temari said nothing, her face emotionless.

 _He does not understand, he does not know the entire truth, Temari …_

"Aren't you going to explain to me?" Shikamaru looked at her, his expression a mixture of sadness and anger. "Like how you met, what you have been doing over the years, how you have been having sex under my nose … all that crap, aren't you going to fucking tell me Temari? Or are you planning to hide it from me until the day I die, or when you die?"

He stopped, when Temari laughed coldly. _How can she be laughing? Does she find it amusing?_

"Does it matter, Shikamaru?" She looked up sadly, an eerie smile hanging on her face. "Do you even care, Shikamaru?" _He is so coated in anger now, he would not listen to her, everything she said will be a lie._

 _She had never seen him this angry, not since they were married._

 _Perhaps he cares. Perhaps he doesn't._

 _But does it matter?_

"I don't care? If I don't care, I won't be here, Temari."

"Is that so?" Temari stood up. "Then where are you when I needed you? You weren't there, he was." She said loudly, her voice hysterical, almost screaming. "Every single time, when I need you to be here for me, you are not."

"So that's why? That is why you cheated on me, with a man, what, almost twenty years older than you?" He sneered.

"You know better than me when it comes to cheating Shikamaru." She snapped. "Nothing about a woman is ever important to you, all you care is about yourself."

He slammed his fist on the table. "I never once cheated on you since we got married, Temari." He glared. "Unlike you, I wonder if he is the only one, or are you going to tell me there are others too?"

Temari glared back. "You don't understand." The anger in her voice subsided, it was instead, coated with sadness that seemed to know no depths.

"I don't - you know what, fuck it." Shooting up from his seat, he slammed the chair he was sitting on at the table, causing a loud bang. He grabbed his jacket from the rack, as well as his wallet and car keys. "Temari, I tried, I loved you the best that I could, what I could do I did, what I didn't do I tried."

He slammed the door as the exited the house.

It was all quiet, as his footsteps faded further and further away, it was so quiet in the house, Temari thought she could hear her heart break.

She found the way back to the room, slumping onto the bed, she stared at the wall in front of her.

There was a wedding picture in front of her, both of them looked radiant, happy - he stared into her eyes, she stared into his, lovingly - there was no one else behind those eyes, no Ino, no Kakashi, no Hidan - just the two of them.

Temari closed her eyes - she could not bare to see the photo.

She took a deep breath.

And two.

At the same moment, she went to the dressing table, finding the key hidden beneath her box of cosmetics, she opened the drawer.

Taking out the box, she sighed.

She had not opened this box for a very, very long while.

She did anyway.

Inside, was a piece of paper, carefully folded into a small, white rectangle.

It was buried deep in her mind, deep in her feinted happiness, deep in her facade of what seemed to be a family.

Gently, she unfolded the rectangle - the white piece was covered in small dark letters.

It was a doctor's certificate, to some it might be a report of one's health, but to Temari, it was death staring straight at her face.

This was her medical report, eight years ago.

 _She was all alone - Shikamaru had gone home with his mother, to arrange for Shikaku's grave in the countryside. She was alone, with Shikadai._

 _She had never been stable with her menstrual cycle - often it came early, or late, it was as unpredictable as a meteorite, striking at anytime._

 _She paid little attention when her period was missing for a few months - not when Shikadai was first adjusting to elementary school, and her father-in-law's sudden passing … everything was too chaotic._

 _When she did notice, it was too late._

 _The unusual amount of blood startled her, making sure that Shikadai was well taken care of, she rushed herself to the hospital._

" _I am sorry," the doctor said. "She was almost 19 weeks."_

 _She could not say anything, she could barely eat anything._

 _The one time she tried to tell him, he picked up the phone and told her that he was busy._

 _Perhaps her voice was too calm, too calm for a woman who had just lost her unborn child._

 _She never tried to tell him again._

Holding the paper close to her chest, she sighed softly. "I am so sorry." She whispered, as she gently folded the piece of paper back into a small, rigid rectangle.

She looked around, this was her home for almost eighteen years now - but now, she was here in this empty house, all alone.

She does not belong here.

She does not want to be here.

* * *

Shikadai opened the door to his house, it was ten at night, the house was empty - the lights were switched off, there was no trace or scent of cooking.

Baffled by the hollowness, he cleared his throat. "I am home."

There was no answer, but the echo of his own voice.

He stepped in, arching an eyebrow in confusion as he took off his shoes.

No one was there, not his father, not his mother.

He wiped out his mobile phone and called.

"Hi, this is the mailbox of Temari, leave a message, I will return your call as soon as possible."

His mother's voice echoed in his mind, as he ended the call and dialed his father.

"You have reached the mailbox of Nara Shikamaru. Please leave a message."

In frustration, he put his phone away.

No one was in the kitchen, nor in the bathroom, nor in the study.

As he walked into his parents' bedroom, nothing seemed to be different, except for one thing.

The realisation came to him as he opened the wardrobe, it was normal at first, but then he noticed - some of his mother's clothes were missing.

He checked around the room, while most of her belongings were still here, part of them were gone.

As he reached the dressing table, he saw a small, silvery piece sitting atop the table.

It was his mother's wedding ring.

His eyes widened, as he wiped out his phone again, he dialed his father hastily.

"You have reached…" he ended the call as he entered his room, surely his mother did leave something for him, surely she would not leave without saying anything.

And she did.

A piece of paper sat on the table, with his name scribbled on top of it.

It was his mother's handwriting.

He was scared to open it, as he reached out.

 _What if those were her last words? What if she already killed herself?_

He gently unfolded the piece of paper, as he quickly glanced through.

 _Dear Shikadai,_

 _I will not be back for some time. Take good care of yourself._

 _Remember: I will always love you._

 _Always yours,_

 _Mama_

He used to call her 'mama', when he was young. Growing up, Mama became mom, and later, it became 'my mom', 'the troublesome woman'...

He clutched the piece of paper in his hand, where could his father be?

He tried to call his office, he was not there.

He tried to call his mobile again, it went to voicemail.

 _Where could he be?_

He ripped a loud scream through the silence of his house, as he slowly crumbled down and sat, leaning next to his bed.

The silence was almost suffocating, there was a whiteness spreading in his mind, as he tried to think.

As his mind gone blank, the persistent ring on his doorbell startled him.

Standing up weakly, he walked over to the door and opened the door slowly.

"What happened?" She was blonde, blue-green eyes glancing around and finally rested upon his face. "Are you alright? We could hear you scream."

"I am not, but you're right." Shikadai opened the door as Yodo walked inside. "Something is definitely wrong with my parents, and now, my mother is gone."

He slumped against the wall and slowly, he slid down and crashed onto the floor. "It's too late now, she is gone, he is not here, and I have no idea where to find them."

He pressed his face into his hands. "It is my fault, I should have made them sit down and talk it out, it is all my fault."

Yodo stared as this boy began to break down in front of her, she knelt down in front of him, as the sound of his quiet sobs echoed in the empty house.

Slowly, she reached out, gently cradling his head with her arms. He did not flinch, as he turned his face and buried himself onto her shoulder.

"Shh.. hush now," she said gently, frowning with a soft smile. "What a crybaby." She rested her head atop his, her arms around his head.

She could feel his arms gently moving up and wrapping her torso tightly in his embrace.

"Don't go." He muttered. "Please, I don't want to here alone."

"I am not going anywhere," she smiled as she patted on his back, gently, she held his hand up.

"But first, you should get some rest, tomorrow we will go look for your mother, with your father perhaps."

Shikadai rubbed his teary eyes and nodded, his grasp on her tight. "Sorry I am such a mess."

"Been there," Yodo smiled back. "I am gonna stay here, until you fall asleep."

Shikadai nodded, as he walked into the bathroom.

 _At least, when everyone was gone, someone was there for him._

 _She was there for him._

* * *

Author's note:

Well ... although she did not tell him, he finally knew, and now you know why Temari was so different all in a sudden :(

I did put in some ShikaYodo, but still poor Shikadai ...

And where has Shikamaru gone to? Who told him?

Anyways ... stay tuned xoxo

V.S.V

P.S. Does anyone recognise the quote/ reference to Kevin Hart - that line gave me some inspiration for this chapter (funny how I got inspiration for such a sad scene from a comedian :p)


	12. The Search Begins

He did not know what to do.

As he looked into the bottom of his empty scotch glass, he found his mind blank.

Cursing softly, he pressed his hand against his forehead.

 _How he wished everything was a nightmare._

 _He loved her, he might be busy, he might not be there all the time, but he loved her._

 _He tried._

 _How could she do that?_

"Another," he waved at the bartender.

He questioned his own sanity - all of his friends called him intelligent, smart … it was all a joke, a fucking joke. He could not even realise that his wife was cheating on him.

 _Would it have happened if he had paid more attention to her? If he had not been overwhelmed by taking over his father's company since his death, trying to make his father's legacy greater - would she still have gone?_

He shook his head. _No, Shikamaru. She cheated on you, it does not matter._

 _How he wished it was a prank - how he felt himself die inside when she told him._

" _Shika-nii," she said. "I...em...I just saw Temari nee-san."_

" _Oh, did you now?" He smiled at her._

 _Mirai did not smile back, she looked away._

" _Well, I don't know if I should tell you." She shuffled her feet._

" _You can tell me anything."_

" _Erm… well, she was with another person - Kakashi-san."_

 _Shikamaru arched an eyebrow. "Uh huh." He prayed that Mirai would stop saying anything - perhaps they were friends, perhaps …_

" _Well, I am not sure," Mirai scratched the back of her head. "They were at the hotel, I saw them sitting at the cafe… and... "_

" _And?" He dreaded, all he wanted to tell her right now was to stop talking, but another part of him wanted to know, everything._

" _Well, I saw them holding hands and hugging each other." Mirai said, staring at Shikamaru in a peculiar way._

" _Okay." Shikamaru said, sitting up, he waved. "Maybe you should go back to work right now."_

 _Mirai nodded as she walked out of his office. He trembled slightly as he reached out and take the family photo he had, his fingers clutching on the frame as his eyes bore into the image of his wife._

 _How could she?_

His phone vibrated atop the glass counter of the bar - it had been ringing for quite some time.

He sucked his teeth and unlocked its screen with a swipe of his finger.

He received a text message from Shikadai an hour ago.

He pressed onto the message - he wondered what happened …

 _Mom left_.

It was a two-letter message, but it was more than enough.

As the bartender put the full glass of whisky in front of him, he stared with his mouth gaping at the screen of his phone.

 _How? Where? Why?_ He reached out to find the cup, almost without hesitation, he downed the entire cup in one go.

Quickly, he fished out a couple bills and took his things, storming out of the bar.

 _No, she is not going anywhere. Not before she gives him a proper explanation._

 _He is not letting her go, not until she tells him in his face that she does not love him anymore._

The alcohol did not hit him until he walked up to his car, feeling dizzy, he stared at his own reflection from the car window, he laughed at himself.

 _What a fucking idiot._

He reached out to the car door, when her voice suddenly darted through his mind.

 _Don't drink and drive - I don't want to be a widow just yet._

He paused at that moment, clutching his open hand into a fist, he whipped out his phone.

"Hey Choji," he said. "Sorry for calling so late, but I was wondering if you can give me a lift home, I drank quite a lot."

Shikamaru smiled at the response by his friend.

"Anything for you, man."

* * *

He walked into his house, slightly surprised by his son, who was sleeping on the couch.

Walking over, he gently shook him awake. "Shikadai," he said. "Go sleep in your room."

"Dad," Shikadai's eyes widened as he saw him. "We need to go find mom."

"I know, I know," Shikamaru said. "We will do that first thing in the morning, but now you need to sleep."

"I don't want to," he snapped.

Shikamaru took a deep breath. "Shikadai…"

"You don't have to tell me, I know something was wrong with you two." He glanced at his father. "But at least, before you two decide to do anything, you should talk to each other… you and mom, both of you are stupid - you with your drinking, and her running away." He said. "You know, mom even left her wedding ring."

"She did?" He arched an eyebrow, he looked down on his hand, his own wedding band was firmly in place.

"Do you have any idea where she is?" Shikadai demanded. "I mean, it's almost in the morning now, we can go find her, well, if you can."

Shikamaru pressed against his head, the alcohol was conking him in the head - he only realised he was not as young as he used to be, he could not take the scotch as well as he did back then.

"Just let me catch a few hours of sleep, we will go then." Shikamaru placed a hand on his son's head and gently ruffled it. "We will find her."

"After we did, you are going to talk to her," Shikadai said, pouting a little and looking at him sternly with his green eyes.

"Alright," he stared into his green eyes - they were a painful reminder of her.

This boy was here only because he loved her and she loved him, and now, he seemed like the walking embodiment of a great irony.

Shikamaru stared as his son walked back into his room.

He knew where he had to go, first thing when he wake up later.

* * *

He wondered if the man still lived here, as he pressed the hand on the doorbell of the apartment building. The security guard greeted him politely.

"And you are looking for?" He asked, eyeing Shikamaru. He was obviously a little troubled by the scent of the alcohol reeking from Shikamaru.

"I am looking for Hatake Kakashi." He tried to be as calm as he could be.

"Oh, and you are?" The security guard was being careful, he could not blame him - the man was paid to be careful.

"Nara Shikamaru." He smiled faintly at the man, who nodded as he began to dial.

"Mr. Hatake, there is a Mr. Nara Shikamaru here to see you."

After a few words, the guard put down his phone.

"You can go up now, it is apartment 43A." He nodded at the man before heading to the elevator.

As he ascended, he wondered if Temari would be there.

 _You are going to talk to him, anyway._ He thought to himself. _You are not going to hit him, or attempt to hurt him._

He loosened his tightened fist as he walked out of the elevator. His phone began to ring.

"Dad, where are you?" He picked up and hear the slightly frantic voice of his son.

"I am out looking for your mother," he said gently. "You get some breakfast, and you can start looking, but make sure you be careful."

"Okay, I will update you." He hung up, as Shikamaru put his phone back into his pocket, the door of 43A opened, a man walked outside and stared at him. His silver hair was unkempt, lazy brown eyes staring at him, with a polite smile hanging on his usually mask-clad face.

He did not remember his face from their previous encounter, to be honest, he never saw his face before.

He hated to admit it, but Kakashi looked awfully young and good-looking for someone in his early fifties.

"Shikamaru." He greeted him. "You are awfully early."

"Kakashi." He spat, devoid of any emotion. "I am late, eight years late."

"Are you going to come in, or are you going to stand outside my door?" Kakashi yawned, and said nonchalantly.

Shikamaru said nothing as he followed him inside, his eyes quickly glanced from side to side.

"She is not here." Kakashi said mindlessly, as he poured himself a cup of coffee.

Shikamaru shot a quick glance at the man, he was dressed in a bathrobe, sitting down on the sofa. "You want coffee?"

"I don't want anything from you but my wife, Kakashi."

"We are going to be here for a long time," he sighed, deciding to pour the younger man a cup of coffee anyway. "I told you, Temari is not here."

"I want to hear it from you," he said, part of him wanted to strangle Kakashi right now, but he controlled himself.

"Well, I have nothing to lose, do I?" Kakashi looked up and stared at him with his brown eyes.

"What do you want to know?"

"Everything." Shikamaru said, staring back at his brown eyes with his dark obsidian ones. "I want to hear everything you know."

* * *

Author's note:

Cliffhanger... I hope you enjoy this story so far - it will slowly unfold, basically, the story will explain itself, so don't worry :)

I love reviews from you all, no matter long or short. I often learn and get inspiration for my stories in the reviews!

Anyway, I hope you enjoy! Thank you for reading.

V.S.V


	13. In Search of Love

The silver-haired man sighed, as he put down his coffee. His hand rested on his chin, gently rubbing it. "Where should I begin?"

Shikamaru sucked his teeth impatiently. "Just tell me everything, chronologically."

"Impatient, are we?" Kakashi shook his head.

"My wife is out there somewhere, I don't have time for games." He slammed his fist on the sofa.

Kakashi eyed him for a second, before sighing again. "You are in for a very long story … it begins back at when I was young."

Shikamaru rolled his eyes. "Fine, go ahead."

Kakashi closed his eyes, as he began to trace his memories back.

 _His friend collapsed right in front of him, as he pushed him out of the way._

" _Obito!" He screamed, the assailant was then shot down by the police, but Obito was beyond help._

 _Kakashi pressed onto his left eye, slashed by one of the assailant as they ran away. "Obito, no."_

 _His friend sucked in a lungful of air as he looked at him, visibly shaking._

" _Kakashi," he raised his hand and pointed at his face. "I will give you my eye, but you have to promise me…"_

 _Kakashi nodded, trying to stop the bleeding from his friend's gunshot wound, he could feel warm blood seeping from the gaps of his fingers._

" _Promise me, you will take good care of Rin." His friend was talking about the girl who was a dear friend to both of them._

 _Before he could say anything, the paramedics rushed over and pulled him away to treat his wound. Obito was instead, rushed onto the ambulance._

 _He was too far gone._

 _Kakashi instead, survived, his damaged cornea was replaced by no one else's, but Obito's._

 _He planned on fulfilling his end of the promise. He did - at least he did try to, as much as he could._

 _Unknowingly, Rin was diagnosed with a terminal illness - at the time he realised, she was almost at her end._

" _It's okay, Kakashi," she smiled at him, as she laid on her sickbed._

" _I am sorry, Rin," he said. "I tried my best, I tried really hard…"_

" _It's okay." She looked at him warmly. "I … because of his passing, I thought I could focus everything on you - I was wrong."_

 _Kakashi shook it off. "It is okay, but...I promised him I will take good care of you," he said softly, cupping her face in his. "I promised him, on pain of his life - and I am going to fail it."_

" _You did, after he is gone, you made me feel loved, as he would have if he was here." Rin smiled at him painfully._

 _She reached out and took his hand in hers gently. "Thank you for everything you have done, Kakashi."_

 _Rin passed away later that night, and for Kakashi, he had lost everything in his life._

 _Everything he held dear was taken from him…_

 _He was greatly troubled, trying to direct his attention to different indulgences in life - alcohol, drugs, women …_

 _It was not until his friend Guy, shook some sense into him before he went to a psychologist._

 _He did for many years, it was almost like a regular visit to an old friend. She was very nice, very willing to listen to him._

 _Until one day, she was gone too, they said something had happened to her._

"You know, you know her too," Kakashi eyed Shikamaru, as he took a sip from his cup of coffee.

"Her name is Yuhi Kurenai."

"Kurenai was your psychologist?" He arched an eyebrow, he faintly remembered that Asuma once mentioned that to him.

"After Asuma passed away," Kakashi noticed a slightly pained expression on Shikamaru's face. "She went to teach in the university, I think. She said something about she could not handle anyone's problems anymore."

Shikamaru fidgeted with his fingers. "That still doesn't explain anything."

"I am just about to continue on." Kakashi said, putting down his coffee again. "And after that…"

 _After that, he did switched to different psychologists afterwards, but they seemed that they could not care less about his problems, his guilt … until some years ago, he decided, upon recommendation of Kurenai, to go to one of her past students._

 _The girl respected him, and was more willing to listen. They became friends even, bantering after sessions of counselling._

 _It was an ordinary day, when he walked out of the interview room, he saw her sitting on the sofa, waiting._

 _Her face was sullen, almost hollow, as his gaze met hers._

 _He could tell that she is beautiful; her sadness had simply absorbed her vitality, leaving her in a hollow shell._

 _He almost thought he saw his former self, sitting there and staring back at him._

 _The psychologist walked out of her office, and took her hand as they walked into the office._

 _He did not know her name, he did not even know it she remembered ever seeing him - there was a certain sadness about her that made him pity her._

 _He met her the next week, both of them waited._

 _He poured her a cup of water and placed it in front of her._

" _Thank you," she said, looking at him. She did not look much better from the previous week._

" _Hatake Kakashi," he smiled at her, beneath his masked face._

" _Temari," she offered, with a weak smile._

" _You do know, dwelling on all the sadness would not help," he said._

" _My sadness, ha." She said, shaking her head. "It is bottomless, like the ocean."_

" _If you want to," he said. "You could share your feelings with me, I have nothing much to do."_

 _She smiled at him. "Why do you even bother?"_

" _You look like you needed it - someone to listen to you."_

 _A dim light appeared in Temari's eyes._

Shikamaru folded his arms in front his chest. He did not even know that she was consulting a psychologist. "Why…?"

"Why?" Kakashi shook his head. "You have no idea what happened to Temari, haven't you?"

"I know the things of her past - but I thought she had stepped out of it already." He said, his fingers clutching his arms.

"I have heard her said something about her past before," Kakashi said. "But I am not talking about that - a bomb cannot explode without something lighting its fuse."

Shikamaru turned his stern gaze upon the older man, who sighed softly as he sipped from his coffee.

"She had a miscarriage." He said dimly. "She lost her child."

"Our child?" Shikamaru's eyes widened. "She never told me."

"She said she tried," Kakashi replied. "It happened when your father passed away. She said it was a girl, nineteen weeks old."

"She always wanted a girl," Shikamaru whispered to himself, his voice shaking. "How could I not notice?"

 _She used to hold Shikadai in her arms, looking at his brilliant green eyes with her equally lively ones. "If only we have a little girl," she said, smiling. "That looks more like me than you."_

 _He remembered he laughed before pressing a kiss on her cheek._

 _How much pain she must had been in, how much sadness..._

"She said you were busy arranging your father's matters, and his company."

Shikamaru pressed his hand against his head.

"She could have tell me, once I came back, why didn't she?" Shikamaru said, there was nothing but sadness in his voice. He looked up at the older man, he wanted an answer, and an answer from this man in front of her was the closest he could get.

"You would know better than I do, don't you?" Kakashi sighed. "Temari is used to burying all her hurt deep beneath her heart."

 _Right,_ Shikamaru thought to himself. _She is an onion - you have to peel her back layer by layer to see what is on her mind._

 _He almost forgot how difficult it was to scrap the emotion out of her._

A painful smile hung on her face. "And so you came into the picture? For eight years?"

"We started out as friends, I was guiding her out of her depression - after all, I have been through it all myself. We usually just talk if we met at the clinic, or over a coffee when she waited for your son to come home." Kakashi clasped his hands together.

"And then?" There were still questions on his mind he needed answers.

"She called me one time, I think it was after some argument, I think, two years ago?" Kakashi looked up at the ceiling. "It was about your son, Shikadai, I think."

"And?" Shikamaru could recall that argument, it was about choosing a secondary school for their son… he could not remember the exact argument, all he remembered was that it exploded.

"She needed to talk to someone," Kakashi shrugged. "So, I met her up at a midnight cafe."

 _The cafe was empty, they were the only customers on a Thursday night._

 _Temari was crying - she pressed her face into her hands._

 _He stared at her, a tiny sting tingled in his heart. "I can't help you if you don't say anything to me."_

 _Temari looked up and stared at him, her voice coated with sadness and despair._

" _I don't know what to do … he never listens, never." She shook her head._

 _He reached out and touched her hand, she looked at him in the eyes._

" _Perhaps, you just need to get it off your mind." He smiled beneath his mask. "If you want to, we can go and have some fun, just me and you."_

 _Temari said nothing, but she did not remove her hand from his._

"I took the initiative - think of me as a companion, whenever she wanted to talk to someone, or just have someone at her side, she would find me." Kakashi looked up. "Is there anything that you want to know?"

"How far did you two…" Shikamaru said, _he was slightly relieved that they had not been together for as long as he thought, two years, but still…_

"Believe it or not, we never gone as far as having sex," Kakashi said. "The most intimate was a kiss." He closed his eyes as he tried to recall it. "One time."

 _He pressed his lips onto hers, she flinched, and laughed it off rigidly._

" _Not feeling in love?" Kakashi said with a dry laugh, trying to defuse the awkward situation._

 _Temari shrugged. "We know better, right." She patted on his hand comfortingly._

 _Kakashi sighed softly._

 _He never kissed her again._

Shikamaru was not sure what to think about it. He knew she was hurt, but still …

"Who is this psychologist you are seeing?"

"That," Kakashi conked himself on his head. "You know her too."

Shikamaru's eyes widened. "Is it…?" He had a name in mind, but he was not entirely sure.

"It's her." Kakashi said. "Yamanaka Ino."

 _Out of all the people he knew…_ Shikamaru cursed himself silently.

 _Why didn't Ino tell him anything - out of all people …_ his heart ached slightly, despite everything, Ino should have told him.

"You know, Temari loves you," Kakashi said. "She is just trying to return everything back to normal, it takes time…"

"Thank you," he said to the older man, as he stood up. "For telling me all this, you can choose not to."

"I have no reason not to, you love your wife; and I - I just want her to be happy; I see my former self in her."

Shikamaru nodded. "I will tell you when I find her."

"You are not going to finish the coffee?" Kakashi stood up after him as he headed to the door.

"I need to go find her." Shikamaru put on his shoes. "I need to ask her, a lot of things - I need to tell her a lot of things."

Kakashi said nothing, as he stepped out of the door.

Shikamaru leaned against the wall as he faced the door of the elevator.

Despite Kakashi's openness, he still had a lot of questions. A lot of questions that only she can answer.

But to do that, he will have to find her first.

He stepped into the elevator, he found himself out of the apartment building in a minute, next to his car, was someone he was not sure whether he wanted to see.

"Mirai?" He called her name, she turned around and faced him, red eyes staring at him. "What are you doing here?"

"I needed to talk to you Shika-nii." She said, biting on her lip.

She was the one who broke the news to him, he was not sure what else she had to say to him.

"Can we talk some other time? I have to do something important."

 _He had to go talk to Ino, she must know something deeper, perhaps she could tell him more about Temari's sickness … or he might have to go to Suna, Temari probably went back to her brothers'..._

"This is important too," Mirai said loudly, her gaze stern upon him. She took a deep breath.

Shikamaru turned around and stared at her.

His dark obsidian eyes locked into her crimson red ones, in search of an answer.

"Mirai, I really don't have the time…" Shikamaru sighed, pressing his hand on his face. "I have to go look for her."

"Why?" Mirai shouted, agitatedly. "Why do you have to do that, can't you see the reality in front of you? She no longer loves you, and... "

Shikamaru's eyes widened as the words came out of the girl's lips.

"I love you, Shika-nii." She said, her eyes almost teary, her voice trembling. "I love you."

* * *

Author's note:

Well, more is revealed ... and another cliffhanger for you guys :3

We will know where Temari is soon ... don't worry and stay tuned!

Enjoy :D

V.S.V xoxo

P.S. Merry Christmas xoxo


	14. To Fall

Shikamaru stared at this girl in front of him, aged eighteen, she was just a few years older than Shikadai - this girl confessing her love towards him.

He was not sure what was happening.

"I love you, Shika-nii," Mirai wiped away the tears rolling down her face. "I...I thought, if you realise that there is someone else that loves you, you would be able to step out of the shadow that Temari nee-san casted upon you…"

"Mirai," he said softly, keeping his distance from her. "I have never thought of you other than my little sister; your father was my mentor…"

"But he wasn't there, when you were." Mirai looked up at him with tearful red eyes. "I...I did not know how to express this, but all I wanted was to be with you, Shika-nii."

"Mirai," Shikamaru shook his head. "Is this the reason why you told me about Temari?"

 _He was not trying to blame the girl in front of him for ruining his marriage, or at least its facade for him, to some extent, he was thankful that Mirai told him, or else god knows how long it would take before he would know._

"I…" Mirai seemed to be swallowing some of her words. "She should have treasured your love, Shika-nii, I … I couldn't bear to see her like that, enjoying your love while being with another man, I…" She gritted her teeth, as the sky began to hum a gentle roar. "If she wants to be with another man, she should let you go."

Shikamaru looked at her, shocked, confused, he was not sure what he was thinking. "It is not like that. You don't understand."

"But why? You told me that I am your favourite, didn't you?" Mirai walked over, and held Shikamaru's hand in hers. "Shika-nii, why can't you accept me?"

 _Shikamaru did not realise that Mirai had grown into a young woman until now._

 _She had always been that little girl, the little girl whose father died because of him._

 _He spent quite a lot of his time, babysitting her, playing with her - he felt that it was his obligation, that it was his responsibility to give him a complete childhood._

 _Not in his wildest imagination had he thought that this would be happening._

"Mirai!" He shook her hand off abruptly. "You are young, and confused about your feelings - this is not romantic love, it is not supposed to be like this."

"I know what I am feeling!" She screeched, as she charged forward and wrapped her arms tightly around Shikamaru. "I am sure of it, why can't you accept me?"

"I am a married man, Mirai," Shikamaru tried to shake her off. "The only one that I love is my wife, and no one else."

He attempted to shake her off, but she refused to release him.

"I don't understand, if she can love Kakashi-san, why can't I love you?" She buried her face into his chest, sobbing onto him.

"I understand that you have a poor childhood without your father, you are confused, Mirai." He shook her off again, staring into her teary red eyes, he held her gently at the shoulders. "I love you, Mirai, like a little sister - it is different from the love I have for Temari."

He stared into her red eyes, with his dark obsidian orbs. "I don't expect you to understand everything right now - I know it for myself." He shrugged with a soft laugh. "We can talk about this later, but now, I have to find Temari."

With a gentle pat on her shoulders, he stepped into his car hastily.

Mirai stood there like a statue as Shikamaru started the engine of his car and drove away.

* * *

Raindrops began to fall, as his car strolled on.

The water splashed on the windscreen of his car, as he raced to find her.

He wondered if she had brought an umbrella with her, or was she shivering in the cold.

The bluetooth device he wore began to beep, he pressed onto his ear. "Hello."

'"Dad, where are you right now? Yodo and I had went to the usual spots that mom would go, I even called Uncle Gaara and Kankuro, they said she haven't contacted them."

"I see," Shikamaru replied. "Do you guys need a ride anywhere?"

"We are not sure where to go next."

"Shikadai, I want you and Yodo to get back home and wait for me," he said. "You have already done enough, what remains is between your mom and me, we will have to sort it out ourselves."

There was a brief silence on the other side of the phone, before Shikadai spoke again.

"You promise that you two will talk it out?"

"Yes," Shikamaru replied. "Even if we don't get to talk yet, I will bring her home first."

"You promise?"

'I promise." He smiled as if his son could see him through the phone.

He ended the call, as he began to drive through the streets, and through his own memories.

Knowing her, she would be somewhere that they shared memories, but there was one place that burned in his mind.

* * *

She sat at the edge, the breeze hit her face, trying to blow her sense back amidst the alcohol.

Her naked feet dangled in the air, she stared down, the cars bustled on the road like tiny ants, the distance of her and the ground seemed so close, yet so far at the same time.

As she looked up again, she thought about everything.

From her distorted childhood, her abusive relationship with Hidan … she thought that after everything she had been through, she would finally be able to find her own happiness.

For some time, she thought she had everything in this world - her life was perfect, a loving husband, an adorable son and everything she needed in her life. Everything was perfect …

Until life happened.

Temari closed her eyes - she knew she was wrong, it all started as a mistake…

Perhaps this was the only way, she opened her eyes again, as she stared down at the ground, she bit her lip.

A strange force seemed to draw her closer to the ground, by the second.

This was the same place, almost eighteen years ago, when she waited for him to defuse the situation with Ino.

Funny how things have changed, after all these time - Ino became her psychologist, treating her volatile depression - how strange it was for the two of them to become friends.

As for her, she took Ino's place, sitting here, contemplating death.

She thought she saw her former self, looking at her with her lively green eyes.

Is it possible for her to return to her former self - all she needed to do was to take a leap, a leap of faith… a tiny voice rang in her head. _All you have to do was to move forward, just a little bit.._

She stared, in her mind, faces began to appear - her brothers, Kankuro's laughing face, Gaara's soft smile… then it slowly morphed into the face of Shikadai, from when he was a small baby, yawning in her arms, to a young child on his first day to school, to his nonchalant, teenage face, his green eyes shining like hers.

And then, it was his. She raised her hand and traced his face in her memory, his dark, shoulder-length hair, slit-like eyes and straight nose, she thought she could see him, lazily gazing upon her, smiling with his thin lips.

He stared back at her, a glass of Martini in his hand. "Vodka, huh? How troublesome."

The first time she kissed him before she left his house after their intimate encounter, his sleeping face unaware of the intimate touch; how he blushed when she teased him in the elevator of the office…

That time, he held her in the rain in Kiri, unwilling to let her go; how he pledged his love once more, at the hospital.

And how he made her fall for him, on this very building she was sitting on right now.

But it was all over now, isn't it?  
Even he is leaving her, it was her fault. She had no one else to blame.

She closed her eyes, the sound around her began to fade.

She leaned forward.

Perhaps falling for herself was the best thing to do right now.

* * *

Author's note:

CLIFFHANGER ... well I hope you guys have a great Christmas, enjoy and stay tuned xoxo

V.S.V


	15. Found

Shikadai opened the door of the house, as he and Yodo walked inside.

"You go ahead and sit down," he said, walking into the kitchen. "I will get us some coffee."

She nodded and waited on the couch.

He returned with two cups of steaming hot drinks, putting them on the coffee table, Yodo reached out and took one of them, holding it with both of her hands as she sipped on it.

"Thank you for being there with me," Shikadai smiled at her, Yodo looked at him, blushing.

"It-it's nothing," she said softly.

"But why do you care so much?" Shikadai arched an eyebrow. "I mean, you have never met my parents before."

"Well," Yodo put down the cup, she wrapped her arms around her knees. "I don't want you to go through what I have gone through."

Shikadai turned towards her, confused. "You mean…"

"My parents, they divorced each other." She snuggled closer to her knees. "Before I could ask anything, my mom was gone, and then soon after, they told me that she died, I…"

Her face was hidden as she curled up in a ball, but Shikadai knew better - she was crying, quietly.

"I never get to ask her a lot of things," she said softly. "I…"

She gasped as she feel his arms around her. His chin rested atop of her head. He patted gently on her back.

He did not say anything, as he pulled her closer; she found herself leaning against him.

"Crybaby," he sneered, as she frowned, moving a bit away from him, she knocked him on the head, staring at his dark brown eyes as he scowled, she smiled.

"Now we're even." She grinned widely at him.

He returned a smile, lazily, as he wiped the tear stain on her face with his finger. "Troublesome."

* * *

He hastily parked his car at the roadside, getting off his car, he took the stairs and ran up to the roof.

No one was there, apart from a few empty beer bottles.

He did not recall a crowd surrounding the building, surely she has not…

Shikamaru refused to think that way.

Temari would not die, Temari is too stubborn to die this way.

He sighed as he took the elevator down from the building, walking out of it, he looked around.

A blonde woman stand there, her silhouette lonely like a willow's whip, shaking in the wind.

She looked up at the roof, her hands cradling her shivering body.

He could recognise her, anywhere.

Slowly, he approached and took off his coat, draping it over her shoulders.

She did not flinch, nor did she turn around.

He could not hold it in anymore. Without another thought, he wrapped his arms around her tightly, pulling her in a close embrace.

"Temari," he whispered into her ear. "Let's go home."

She did not turn around, she could hear his quiet sob, the heaving of his chest, the moist that wetten her shirt as he buried his teary face into her shoulder.

"We don't have to be like this, Temari." He flipped her over, and cupped her face - the tears stain on her face have dried, there was not a light trace of makeup on her face - she was still beautiful, the way she was. "I… I talked to Kakashi,I have a lot of things that I need to ask you."

She still said nothing as he pulled her into a hug, his arms wrapping tightly around you.

"I knew that you would be here, somehow." He said, his face was next to hers. "I am so scared that you would do something stupid."

Temari raised her hands, slowly, she held him on the shoulders and pushed him away gently.

"Shikamaru, do you hate me?" She stared into his dark obsidian eyes, her face was almost ashen, grey like the clouds above them. Her hair was still dripping from the rain which just stopped, the water gleaming under the weak sunlight. Her green eyes stared into his, her hands shivered in the cold.

He took her hand in his, rubbing them with his own.

"I hate the fact that I love you." Shikamaru sighed. "How troublesome is that, to love such a troublesome woman."

He blinked. "You're cold, let's go home." He took her hand in his, and urged her to walk.

But she refused to.

"You know," she turned her gaze upon the roof again. "I almost jumped just now."

He pulled her closer, before he could say anything, she spoke again.

"I leaned forward, but…"

 _She leaned forward, she could see her hair draping in front of her eyes._

 _But suddenly she stopped._

 _She thought she heard someone call her._

" _Temari." She sat back up and turned around._

 _She thought she saw them - Shikamaru standing there, he was young, his face gleeful, as he held a baby Shikadai in his hand._

" _Mama," he called her._

" _Come back down now, Shikadai wants to read another story book." He smiled at her. "While I play the best dragon, we all know no one can beat you in role-playing the knight and princess."_

 _Temari smiled at them, her eyes teary._

" _Why are you crying?" Shikamaru smiled at her, she could see him approaching. "It's okay, we can always have another child. Even if we don't, Shikadai is the best son we can ever hope for."_

 _He cupped her face in his hand. "No matter what, I will always love you."_

" _Mama," the baby cooed at her and touched her face._

 _The moment ended abruptly, as the image of the father and son faded, she woke up._

 _Her feet was touching the ground of the roof, as she gasped for breath._

"You found me," she said softly, pulling him into a tight hug. "You found me."

Shikamaru sighed softly, and rubbed her back. "I might be late, but yes, I have found you."

He held her hand in his, he shoved his hand in his pocket.

As he retrieved his hand, she saw a glittering object in his hand.

Gently, he slipped it onto her ring finger. "You left this."

Temari stared, as he pressed a kiss onto her hand. "Don't be so careless, troublesome woman."

He wiped the tears away as it began to stream from the corner of her eyes.

"Come on now, let's go home." He led her way to the car.

This perhaps, marked their long and winding path to recovery.

* * *

Author's note:

You know me well - I won't kill Temari (I love her too much D:)

Now, the situation seemed to have cooled down, let's see how our favourite couple will talk it out, and how young love will develop :3

Enjoy xoxo Thanks for the reviews and love :D

V.S.V


	16. Talk

He closed the door behind her, as she walked inside.

Shikadai shot up from the sofa and rushed over to her side.

"Mom!" He hugged her tightly with his arms, as she wrapped her arms around him.

"I am so sorry, Shikadai," she muttered softly, as his face touched hers.

Shikamaru smiled with a frown on his face, as Shikadai brought her to the sofa.

"You can't just run away with a note, mom." Shikadai pouted, folding his arms around his chest. "That is just troublesome."

She studied his posture with a sudden streak of amusement. The way he folded his arms and frowned was exactly like she was when she was young, yet his face, his words, sounded just like his father.

This was the reassurance she needed - cliche as it sounds, Shikadai was truly, the embodiment of their love.

"Shikadai," Shikamaru cleared his throat, as he placed his hand on his son's shoulder. "You must be tired, go wash up and nap for a while," his glance moved to Temari's face. "I need to talk with your mother."

Shikadai looked at his mother longingly and nodded. "Alright."

The couple waited for Shikadai to walk upstairs.

Shikamaru poured themselves two cups of tea.

"Are you tired? If you are, we can talk after you get some rest," he looked at her caringly, as she shook her head.

"You deserve to know, I am so stupid to keep everything from you, but…" She pressed her face onto her hands, he hesitated, but eventually reached out and placed his hand on her shoulder.

"I know you are."

"What?"

"You are stupid, rash and troublesome," he shrugged, with a thoughtful smile. "But that's part of you, and I am fine with it."

Temari smiled at him, and sat up straight. "You're right, for once I will give you that."

He slowly retracted his hand, and waited for Temari to talk.

She took a deep breath, and sighed softly. Her hand rested on her abdomen as the frown on her face deepened.

Shikamaru stared as a silent tear drop, one, two … Temari stared at her own stomach, gently caressing its surface.

"Where do I begin?" She muttered softly. "Right, it was a rainy night."

Her hand stopped as she put them onto her knees, clutching the fabric that covered her legs, she bit her lip.

"I was very stressed at that time, I didn't want to tell you - your father had just passed, you have so much on your mind… I wanted to help, I wanted to make sure everything is in order at home, and then…"

She sighed softly, her voice reduced to a gentle whisper.

"So much blood…" She said dryly. "They told me she was nineteen weeks old, it's a girl…"

She turned her head around and stared at him. "I called you, you said you were busy…"

"Why don't you call me again? It's so important." His frown was carving a scar on his forehead, he clutched his hand tightly into a fist.

"I thought...I thought you don't care anymore." Temari laughed sadly. "Now come to think of it, it was kind of stupid, but that was what I did."

Shikamaru bit onto his lip, and looked at her sadly. "No wonder every time I try to touch you…"

"...yeah." She smiled painfully.

"The rest I think Kakashi have told you." Temari looked at her feet. "Sadness is a very interesting emotion, once you open a small hole for it to drip in, it expands limitlessly until you drown in a bottomless ocean… there are times I just want to descend and never surface again...it just so happened that when I fade, he found me."

Shikamaru did not say anything as Temari took a deep breath.

"Every time I saw you, I can't stop thinking about all of it… I turn to focus on Shikadai, only he could take that off my mind for some time."

Shikamaru licked his dry lips, and sighed softly. "Temari…"

"So, now that you know, what will you do?" She smiled, no, her lips were turned upwards, her eyes were hollow. She was not smiling. "You have every right to…"

"No, Temari." He said softly. "I don't deserve to call myself your husband if I said I am going to divorce you right now."

Her expression was difficult to understand - it was as if she was relieved, but his statement did not remove the frown on her face.

He reached out and took her hand into his, she did not flinch, her green eyes studied his expression.

He smiled at her, as he scooted nearer, their bodies almost touching.

"I'd be the biggest dickhead if I leave you right now," he said. "You will get better, we will get better."

Temari's eyes thinned as she clutched his hand tighter.

"It's going to be very, very troublesome." She said softly.

"My life had never been trouble-free, especially," he paused for a moment and smiled, his gaze wandered away. His grip tightened around her hand, as he took it and gently pressed her hand against his lips.

"Especially after I met you, Nara Temari."

Temari thought her sight was fading, he reached over and wiped the dangling tears around her eyes. "Troublesome." She muttered, as Shikamaru pulled her close.

She rested her head against his chest, hearing his heart thumping steadily in his chest.

He did not say anything, nor did she - for a brief moment they sat there, feeling each other's temperature, warming the cold body and souls of one another.

While it may be impossible to mend a broken glass perfectly, one could at least try.

And that is what they are going to do.

* * *

Author's note:

A short update ... I hope you enjoy this sweet and sad Shikatema moment :3

I am suddenly compelled to finish this chapter because Shikamaru hiden is finally starting in the anime series! (My shikatema feelings are screaming when I watched xx)

Anyway, enjoy! I will try to update soon (as well as for my other stories) ... because I always want to start new ones haha

V.S.V xoxo


	17. Smile

"You know you don't have to come with me," she sighed as he closed the car's door behind her. "I haven't come to see Ino for such a long time," she said. "To imagine that I would end up finding her."

Shikamaru said nothing, he smiled at her as he held her hand.

Temari led the way, he found himself at the reception counter. The receptionist smiled at the couple.

"Here to see Dr. Yamanaka?" She said.

"Yes, I have made an appointment at two." Temari said, he could feel her hand tightening its grip around his hand.

He patted onto her hand gently.

"This way please," the receptionist stood up ad led the way, at the door, she knocked and opened the door.

"It has been some time, Temari - wait." The other blonde woman's eyes lit up, before quickly fading away. "Shikamaru?" Her long blonde hair swayed as she walked towards them, her sky blue eyes coated with disbelief, she remained beautiful as he remembered, only the immature bashfulness seemed to have eroded itself from her, she was more composed, more fitting as her role as a psychologist.

He smiled, that being said, Ino had not changed much either - her eyes still darted like crazy whenever she was nervous, or when she had something to hide.

"I insisted on coming with her," he said. "We have some problems that we hope you can help sort out."

"Su-sure." Ino looked at Temari anxiously. "If that is what you want."

Temari and Shikamaru sat down on the couch opposite Ino, as she poured three cups of tea.

"Well, Temari, you haven't been back for quite some time," Ino began. "How have you been?"

"Not as stable as I hoped," Temari smiled painfully. "But on the other hand … things have gotten a bit better," she looked at Shikamaru, who returned a warm gaze. "He knew everything now."

"You do?" Ino eyed Shikamaru. "Well, that's good to hear… I suppose."

"We want to make things work again," he said, his gaze turning back to Ino. "We think you might be a good mediator, besides … I have some other problems that I need to deal with."

"Sure, fill me in with the details." Ino clutched a pen between her fingers.

Temari arched an eyebrow. "You?"

"It's about Mirai, you know, Kurenai's kid?" Shikamaru scratched the back of his head. "She had an unhealthy attraction well...towards me."

"Really?" Ino arched an eyebrow, Temari stared with her head tilted.

"Yes … I actually got to know about Temari's … issue when she told me."

Ino looked at the couple, both of them looked calm enough to continue. "So, what are you going to do about it?"

"I tried to tell her, but I don't think she will just stop on that," he bit his lip. "I don't share her feelings, but I don't think I can get it into her head."

"That's an issue," she said. "This thing could possibly cause a strain on your own marriage," Ino looked at Temari. "Are you aware of this?"

"Not really," she muttered softly. "I am just hoping that Shikadai will take it well, if we are going to sort anything with Mirai, since he is pretty fond of her." Temari pressed her hand on the side of her face.

"Well, we have to deal with that matter anyway," Ino said. "But for now, we will focus back on your relationship."

Shikamaru nodded.

"To reconcile, you must have full confidence in each other, and Temari, you must not see Kakashi again in that kind of context, as a start." Ino said, noting down as she go on. "As for you Shikamaru, you need to be here for Temari for her recovery."

He tightened his grip around her hand. "I will, I owe her too much."

Ino smiled at the scene.

Temari realised that he was holding onto her hand, even after they have left Ino's office.

She clutched her fingers around his hand, smiling, she pulled onto his hand.

"Let's go," she smiled.

"I didn't tell you," Shikamaru said. "Aren't you mad?"

"About Mirai?" She said. "I am not mad about her liking you, it is possible, afterall, you are like a father-brother complex for her."

He smiled. "I have no idea what happened to her," he said. "Those silly feelings that she has."

"We both know well enough that one cannot control their feelings, if they could, I would have never ended up with you." She grinned at him. "I probably would have died already."

"Don't be troublesome," he said, smiling at her. "And Shikadai is not coming home for dinner tonight."

"Oh, is he out with that girl?"

"Probably." He smiled. "From what I have heard, Yodo is almost as troublesome ..."

Temari laughed a little. "Then let's go out somewhere for dinner."

Shikamaru smiled at her with a nod as he opened the car door for her.

* * *

"Well, well," she smiled at him. "You seem to be in a good mood aren't you, crybaby?"

Shikadai opened one eye and smiled at her. "Troublesome," he said. "I am only treating you this because you helped me in finding my mom."

"I am taking the offer of course," Yodo took a sip from her milkshake. "I deserved it," she grinned.

He smiled at her, something of her entire air reminded him of someone.

 _His mother._ From earlier times, when she was still as feisty as she used to be, she used to be happy, just like Yodo right now in front of his eyes.

"Oi, stop looking at me," she snapped with a grin. "Your ice cream float is melting."

He moved his gaze from her to the melting cream in front, gently floating on the cup.

He suddenly remembered something that his father told him, when he was younger.

 _The two of them were playing chess, as he moved his knight forward, he coughed._

" _Dad," he said, his father's gaze turned upwards and stared into his green eyes._

" _Why did you marry mom?" He studied his father's gaze, his frown deepened, he tapped his finger on the chessboard._

" _I mean, she is troublesome and scary, but sometimes, she is awfully quiet …"_

" _I guess it's her smile."_

" _What?" He rolled his eyes. "You sound like some corny love movie, dad."_

" _Hmph." His father smiled. "That and her eyes," he studied his son's equally green orbs. "You will understand, soon enough."_

 _He growled as his father reached over and ruffled his hair._

" _Checkmate." He sucked his teeth as his father smiled at him lazily._

Now that he looked at the blonde girl in front of him, something seemed to click in his mind.

He might understand what his father meant now.

And with that thought, he smiled.

"Troublesome."

* * *

Author's note:

Another chapter! The story is closing in to its end :)

I am loving Shikadai and Yodo together every time I wrote about them :)

I hope you enjoy! xoxo

V.S.V


	18. Missing

He opened the door for her as they entered, she stepped inside and kicked off her shoes.

As he took off his own, he smiled at the scene as she sighed in relief, sinking herself into the softness of the couch.

He noticed that Shikadai was already back, that his shoes were placed tidily at the shoe shelf - good training from his mother. He chuckled softly at the scene.

He approached and sat next to her, she did not turn towards him, her eyes were closed, her breathing was steady as he studied her face.

He reached out and brushed a stray hair away from her closed eyes, he knew she noticed - the corner of her mouth jerked a little as he did.

He chuckled softly as she opened her eyes and turned towards him, her hand reaching out to his chin and gently, she stroked his goatee.

"Shikamaru," she said, her voice was soft and gentle.

He uttered a soft sound in reply, as he leaned forward and smiled at her.

"I am sorry, really sorry," she said. "For everything that I have done."

Shikamaru said nothing in return, he slung his arm across and pulled her into an embrace.

"Mari," he said. "I know it is partly my fault too, I should be there for you when you needed me." He pressed a chaste kiss on her forehead. "I wasn't there for you, when you were always there for me."

Temari snuggled closer to him, blinking.

He sighed softly. "There is no point playing the blame game, like what Ino had said, we have to put the past behind ourselves - all that matters is what happens today and tomorrow."

Temari nodded, she leaned closer to him, hearing his steady heartbeat against his chest.

"I wish that she was here, our girl…" She said. "If only I had been more careful."

"Don't be troublesome," he turned at her, his voice was gentle, yet stern as he held her gently by the shoulders and stared deep into her green eyes.

"Whatever had happened is not your fault, perhaps, it is not meant to be," he said. "Shikadai is already the best child we can ever have, so don't worry about that."

Temari pursed her lips together tightly, she refused to blink as tears lodged themselves at the rim of her eyes.

"If you feel better after crying, there is no point holding it back," he reached up and brushed away a rolling tear from her face. "We are all allowed to have emotions, that is what makes us human, what makes us unique."

Temari froze for a moment, before slowly pressing her face against Shikamaru's chest.

Her sobs were silent, but he could feel her slight upheaval, rather, as she shivered in front of his chest, he thought he could hear the rattling of the broken pieces of her heart.

After a while, she lifted her head, her eyes red and puffy from crying, his hand gently caressed her face.

"Well, well," he said. "Let's go to bed."

She nodded with a smile, just as they stood up, there were loud bangs at the door.

Temari looked at Shikamaru and he looked back at her.

He turned to look at the clock.

 _00:23._

"Who could it be at this troublesome hour?" He arched an eyebrow, as he pressed a reassuring hand on her shoulder.

He left her side and headed to the door, through the cateye, he saw a familiar face that she had not seen for a very long time.

He slowly opened the door, in front of him stood a middle-aged woman, her dark hair long and curly against her face and rested atop of her chest. Her red eyes stared straight into his, it was nothing like the warm welcoming gaze she used to offer him, it was a gaze of confusion and despair.

"Kurenai?" He looked at her, concerned. The woman was shivering as if she was standing in the cold wind.

It was summer, Shikamaru was just barely on the brink of sweating as the air conditioner of his house started to function.

"Shikamaru, have you seen Mirai?" She gasped, her eyes darting around the vicinity of his house, searching for her daughter.

"No, I haven't seen her for quite some time actually," he said. "Do you want to come in?"

Kurenai walked inside, she locked eyes with his wife, both of them staring each other, exchanging awkward gazes.

"I will fetch you some tea," Temari sniffed as she walked into the kitchen, leaving Shikamaru with Kurenai in the living room.

"Mirai didn't went home?" He arched an eyebrow.

"Yes, she wrote a note, saying that she is going on a journey of self discovery, I went to her school, to the coffee shop that she always went … she is nowhere to be found." Kurenai sighed, her eyes turning towards Shikamaru. "I know she said some silly things to you, I am very sorry if that bothered you and Temari, but …"

Temari placed the tea on the table and left, after exchanging an affirming gaze with Shikamaru.

"That's not important, we need to find Mirai first." Shikamaru said. "Did you check the bank records, have she withdrew any money or used the credit card?"

"I haven't, all the banks were closed - we have to wait until morning." She said.

"If that's the case," Shikamaru sighed. "Then we will have to wait, we will check and look for her first thing in the morning."

Kurenai nodded, as Shikamaru patted on her shoulder reassuringly.

"I can drive you home, if you want to," he said. "Or you can stay the night, we have plenty of guest rooms."

"It's okay, I will go back and see if Mirai comes back," she said. "I am so sorry to bother you, I will call a cab."

"Let me," he said.

As he escorted her to the taxi, he stared as the woman's ride moved further and further away from their house.

Trouble seemed to know its way to him.

He returned to his bedroom, Temari was lying still on the bed, her breathing remained steady, but he knew better.

"You aren't asleep, are you?" He asked, she turned and faced upwards, her eyes staring at him.

"Mirai is missing, isn't' she?"

"Yes," he said. "I will go find her tomorrow, and see if we can find her before she does anything stupid."

"Hmph," she paused, her face appeared to be lost in thought.

"I think, perhaps, she would leave the city, even the country." Temari blinked. "You can check tomorrow, I have contacts in Kiri and Iwa if that's where she headed, if she went to Suna, I will ask Gaara and Kankuro to look for her."

Shikamaru smiled as he sat on the bed next to her. "You would do that?"

"It's nothing," she smiled. "I like to be helpful when I can."

"Since when are you not?" He smiled as he lied down and slid into the sheets. He wrapped his arms around her, and sighed gently.

"Well, tomorrow will be tomorrow, for now on, let's just sleep - I am exhausted."

Temari nodded, as both of them tried to find a way to slip into a deep slumber that they have not had in a very long time.

* * *

Author's note:

Well ... I have to resolve Mirai's issue, I know that she is out of character in this story, kind of - for plot purposes sorry Mirai fans :(

Well, I hope you enjoy as always. This story changed quite a lot that I did not write it the way I originally thought I would ... but it turned out okay I hope ...

The story is closing on its end ... hopefully we will have a happy ending :)

V.S.V xoxo


	19. Return

It was in the early hours of the night, and Shikadai was wide awake.

He sighed in relief as he emptied his bladder. With a flush, he then washed his hands and was walking to his room.

A click passed through his sensitive ears, alerted, he walked to the front door, reaching for the baseball bat hidden behind the shoes cabinet, he gulped.

A letter fell through the mail hole of the door, Shikadai wasted no time but opened the door and rushed outside.

"Mirai nee-chan!" He shouted at the top of his lungs, waking up probably half of the neighbourhood, and more importantly, his parents.

He dropped the bat, and forgot that he was not wearing any shoes, he ran and chased the older girl, who started her frantic escape.

It took him a few seconds, but he caught up to her, he caught her arm in his grip and pulled her to a halt.

"Let me go, Shikadai!" She demanded, shaking her arm violently. Shikadai had not realised that he was that strong until he found Mirai's inability to escape from his grip.

She used to shake him off with one or two light movements.

"No," he clutched the letter in his hand. "I found this, and you are going to explain this."

Mirai said nothing in return, she kept struggling, trying to free herself from Shikadai's grip as his parents approached.

Temari threw a coat across Shikadai's shoulders, as Shikamaru stood next to the two young persons.

"Enough, Mirai," his voice had a sudden surge of authority, as Mirai turned and looked up to her, her struggling stopped and Shikadai loosened his grip around her arm.

"End this nonsense, come on, I will take you home, your mother is worried sick," Shikamaru took her arm hastily, and Mirai unexpectedly shook him off.

"No." She glared at him, her red eyes teary. "Why do you care?"

"Of course I care," he turned at her, looking her straight in the eye warmly. "You are like a sister to me," he said gently.

Mirai did not respond to him, she stood there as tears rolled down her face.

"Mirai, listen - when your father gave his life for me, I promised myself that I would do anything to protect you." He smiled at her gently. "I am sorry if there had been any pain caused by misunderstanding, but I want you to know - you are always a little sister to me."

Mirai bit onto her lip and shouted in his face. "I don't want to be a little sister! You know how I feel - her!" She pointed her finger aggressively towards Temari, who wrapped her arm around Shikadai's shoulder. "She cheated on you! She betrayed you! How could you…"

"That's quite enough," Shikamaru stopped her sharply, the anger surged in his eyes before fading away again. "Things are not always like it seems, Temari might have done something wrong, but it's okay - it does not change anything on my part."

He pressed two reassuring hands around her shoulders. "You are young, smart and attractive, you don't have to waste your time like this," he smiled at her. "You deserve better, knowing how strong you are, you will be able to think it through."

Mirai looked at him, in an expression that was somewhere between confusion and pondering, he patted on her shoulder reassuring as a police car came driving by, its lights flashing red and blue as it approached.

A dark-haired woman came out of the car, rushing to Mirai's side, she caught her in her arms and hugged her tightly.

Shikamaru backed down and went back to Temari's side.

She said nothing as she leaned her head against his shoulder. Almost instinctively, he wrapped his arms around her shoulder as they looked at the mother and daughter leaving the block.

"Mom? About what Mirai nee-san just said…" Shikadai looked at his parents, skeptical about their display of affection now that he heard his childhood friend's speech.

Temari stared into Shikamaru's eyes, and he gave her a reassuring pat.

Shikadai stared as his father turned back to him with a smile. "Let's go home first, look at you, no shoes and all that," he ruffled his son's hair with a warm hand.

Shikadai followed as his father took his mother's hand, and slowly, they went home.

* * *

Shikadai held his cup of warm tea in his hand, as his mother and father talked through the whole thing.

"We are not trying to sugar coat the matter for you, after all, we treat you like a young adult, not a child," his father said. "Your mom and I have decided to put the past behind us, and I want you to understand that too."

He nodded, he glanced at his mother hesitantly. "Mom, do you still love dad?"

Temari jolted up a little, as she slowly turned at Shikamaru, with a gentle smile, she said nothing.

"Well," he yawned, eyeing his dad. "The adult world is so troublesome."

"You should get some sleep before school tomorrow," Temari smiled at him. "Good night."

Shikadai stared at them with one eye closed. "Good night."

As his son walked upstairs, he placed his hand around her waist, he looked at her with a smile.

"Are you going to answer that?"

"Answer what?"

"Do you still love me?" He arched an eyebrow as she reached up and stroked his goatee.

She smiled, leaning forward, she pressed her lips against his.  
"This helping?" She asked, with a gentle smile.

Shikamaru chuckled softly, before cupping her face with his hand.

He pressed his lips against hers, his tongue gently gliding past her white teeth and entwining with hers. She wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him closer to her.

"Shikamaru…" she stopped as she parted from his embrace. "I...I can't do this right now."

"It's okay," he took her hand and helped her up. "Let's just go to bed, everything is such a drag today."

As they laid onto the bed, Shikamaru wrapped his arm over her shoulder, muttering an illegible sound.

"Shikamaru?" She asked, he opened one eye, staring into her head of blonde hair.

"Hm?"

"Sorry… for everything," she said. "I mean…"

Her world flipped when suddenly, she found herself staring into his eyes, his hand supported his weight, standing next to her head like pillars. He held her wrists, gently and firmly.

"I know what you mean," he said. "I told you, no matter how troublesome it is, I am going to get my wife back," she smiled, thinking that her eyes are becoming slightly watery.

He pressed a gentle kiss onto her nose, her chin and her neck. She gasped and blinked.

"Shikamaru…" she shifted beneath him, as he lowered himself and lied down beside her again, this time encircling her waist, he pulled her close, her head against his chest.

"Don't think about silly things now." He smiled at her and pressed another kiss onto her forehead. "I am not going to force anything."

He yawned loudly before closing his eyes, as Temari stared at his sleeping face for a while, she closed her eyes.

She was getting better, it was hard to describe, but at least, the guilt she felt when he touched her was fading.

She was becoming herself again, she knew it.

With the little affirmation, she smiled and put herself to sleep, snuggling in his arms.

* * *

Author's note:

We are closing in to the end! I have closed the Mirai thread of the story somehow ... prepare for the end!

Enjoy xoxo I know this is not as good as ACP, but I hope you like it :3

V.S.V


	20. Together, at last

She shot up from the bed, blinking hard.

Turning around, he was not by her side.

It had been six months even since they reconciled, he maintained his distance, showing her affection when she needed it, and equally, distance when she needed it.

She turned her head and looked at the bedside clock.

 _03:45._ The clock stared back at her as she turned her head away.

She stared at the window for a brief moment - it was a dark, cold winter night.

 _Where could he be?_

She decided to investigate - slipping her feet into her slippers, she draped a jacket across her shoulders - one of his actually, he left his blazer on the dressing table chair.

She wandered, her eyes slightly adjusting to the darkness of the corridors as she emerged from her room, she travelled, her hand resting upon the walls of the house, she walked to her son's room.

Opening the door, she peeked inside - Shikadai was fast asleep, barely covering himself with the thick blanket.

She sighed softly with a smile as she walked inside, she studied his face - almost identical to his father, the beautiful profile of his face looked peaceful as it basked in the cold winter moonlight.

She reached out and tugged the blankets over him, gently patting onto the boy's shoulders.

He muttered something in his sleep as he flipped around, facing the ceiling, Temari smiled a little as he started to snore softly.

Closing the door with little sound, she walked and turned around towards the staircase, looking for a trace of her husband.

She took care not to make a large sound as she travelled down the staircase, looking around, the television was flashing yet no sound was emitted from it; she turned around and saw the dim light coming from the kitchen.

He was standing inside, his hair messily cascading across his face; he held a cup of warm tea in his hand, as he sighed softly.

Shikamaru shuddered a little when her arms snaked up and held him across the waist.

Her head rested upon his shoulder, as she pouted with a small smile. "Can't sleep?"

He muttered a soft sound as he put his tea down and turned around, his hands held her gently around her waist.

She smiled at him, as he smiled back.

She blinked as she stared at him with her green eyes, he stared back at her calmly.

He did not flinch as she reached up and pressed her hand against his face. He took her hand, somewhat confused - there was something about her face, that he had not seen for a very long time.

She smiled, as she leaned forward, her eyes closed, her lips pressed against him; her weight shifted upon him as he embraced her, his back against the counter in the kitchen.

Almost aggressively, she pried his lips open with her tongue, entwining his with hers, he almost thought breathless, panting for breath as she parted from him, her head leaning affectionately against his chest.

"Shikamaru, I think I am back," she muttered. She looked up to him, smiling warmly. "I know clearly, because _you_ are the only one I want."

Her hand travelled down, he almost gasp as she stroked and touched his intimate manhood, blinking, she took his hand with her free hand.

"I want you, Shikamaru." She blinked at him, there was a strange desire burning in her eyes. "I want you, right now."

Shikamaru was led back to their room, as he was pushed onto the bed by her, she pinned him down, staring at him almost predatorily.

"Temari," he reached out and touched her face. "This is so sudden."

"You don't think I know, do you?" She leaned closer, her forehead touching his. "I know what you've been doing, for this whole time."

Her hand travelled down once again, soothing his phallus with her sleek fingertips. "It must have been hard on you, isn't it?"

As a man with healthy needs, he tried to cope with her recovery, he felt a bit of burning sensation as she smirked at him. "Doing it yourself is never as good as having someone doing it for you."

She slid down, only to be halted by him. "Temari."

She looked back up, her blonde hair cascading across her face. He sat up, and held her by the shoulder. His other hand brushed away the stray hairs of her face, cupping her face in his warm, large hand.

"I don't want you to feel that you owe this to me," he said. "Sex is not what I want, what I want," he pulled her in closer. "What I want is to make love to you."

She looked up, her eyes quivering as she smiled. "Why are you annoying," she said, pouting a little. "Just shut up and kiss me."

He looked befuddled for a second, before smirking and pulling her in for a kiss.

His lips travelled, as his hands gently removed her clothing, from her neck to collarbone, he planted a row of kisses.

His hands caressed her soft supple breasts, her moans intensified as he began to stimulate her nipples with his tongue and lips. One of his hand travelled down in between her legs; he probed and touched her gently, causing her to dig her nails into his back, clawing him like a cat.

She repaid the favour, flipping over and pinning him down once again, she slid down and took his proud manhood in her hand, gently, she moved her hand upwards and down, her tongue playfully teasing its tip.

He moaned in pleasure and subtle excitement as she enveloped the entire rod in her mouth, he tapped on her. "Turn this way," she obliged, and he serviced her with his tongue, separating moist folds and probing into the canal.

He could see her shivering slightly, as he added more pressure to her intimate region. As if she was countering his advances, she increased her pace, until he could no longer hold it.

She coughed a little, as he moved himself and faced her, gently laying her down.

"I am sorry, I just couldn't," he patted on her back gently.

"You always do that when you feel good," she grinned a little. "For such a lazy guy, you get pretty impatient when it comes to that, heh."

He grinned at her, as she smirked at him. He gently straddled over her beautiful body.

He entered her, and she welcome his long awaited presence inside of her with moans and grunts. He kept himself busy by pressing kisses and massaging her breasts as he moved forward and back, she wrapped her arms around his neck as he did, biting on his shoulder occasionally.

"Shikadai-," she said in between moans. "It would be bad if he…"

"Too troublesome," he pressed his lips onto hers, as their minds gone blank.

As he removed himself from deep inside of her, she smiled at him, her arms still wrapped around him.

"Shikamaru?" She said, almost breathlessly, her forehead against his, with a gentle smile.

"Yeah?" He said, her hand began to stroke his goatee.

He rested his hand on her waist, his other hand covered their naked warm bodies with the blanket as she snuggled closer to him.

"I love you," she said.

He wrapped his arm around her, gently patting her head.

"Troublesome," he said, pulling her closer. "I am so tired."

Shikamaru might not know, but that night, he slept with the brightest smile he had in quite a while.

* * *

He woke up as the alarm blazed in his room, rubbing his eyes, he thought he could smell something coming from downstairs.

 _Breakfast._ His stomach complained with a loud growl. He unwillingly moved himself away from the warmth of his bed and tugged himself into school uniform.

He rubbed his eyes once again, as he finished getting ready and tumbled off the stairs.

He frowned a little, in both confusion and surprise as he stared.

His father and mother stood next to each other, his mother's head leaned onto his shoulder for a brief moment, before she turned at him and laughed, grinning as she spoke to him.

He had not seen this scene for quite some time, part of him fluttered inside, he smiled unknowingly.

"Shikadai!" She grinned at him widely as she emerged from the kitchen, his father was on her side, holding cups of tea. "I thought you are still sleeping."

"Well, er," he stammered a little. "I heard my alarm."

She smiled as they ate their breakfast.

Shikadai ate, he knew the food tasted good, but what amazed him was his parents.

For most of the time growing up, he only saw the dysfunctional side of them, and now this amazed him.

"Your tea is getting cold," Shikamaru sighed softly with a smile. "Hurry up, I will drop you off at school."

"Er, dad," he hurried up and gobbled his tea. "I, em…"

Shikamaru arched an eyebrow, as Temari grinned widely, sipping from her tea.

"Well, you still have to hurry," she said, winking at him. "Better not keep Yodo waiting, don't we?"

"Mom," he shot his head up from his breakfast, a pink hue appearing on his face.

Shikamaru smirked and sipped from his coffee. "Very well then, enjoy your long ride on the bus to school."

He sucked his teeth as he moved from the table, looking back he smiled at them. "See you guys later."

His parent smiled back at him as he walked out of the door.

Walking to the house next to him, a blonde hooded figure leaned against the wall enclosing the small garden.

"Took you long enough," she walked up and poked him on the chest, her blue-green eyes glared at him for a brief second.

"Sorry," he grinned at him, for a second, he thought that her face softened a little, reminding him of someone else…

 _His mother._

"Anyway, let's go," she said, a pink hue on his face, as she walked on.

He stared for a few seconds at her back, before she turned around with a frown.

"Get your ass moving!" She said, he smiled at her.

"Alright, alright," he said. "What a drag."

It was a long way to school, and with her, it seemed to be less of a drag.

* * *

Author's note:

Well, long-awaited lemon guys ... hope it is not too awkward (note that there is a time skip :3)

And Shikadai and Yodo! Although the story is closing on its end, it is only right for me to experiment more with our new young couple hahah

Anyway, I hope you enjoy xoxo

V.S.V


	21. All that matters

It was a good day. The sun hung itself, radiating gentle rays through the white clouds that surrounded it.

The birds chirped as they stepped out of the car, he locked the car with a single press on the keys while his other hand took hold of her hand.

She chuckled softly as he led her forward, her eyes still closed - he had asked her to, making sure that she does not see anything, he even put a blindfold around her eyes.

Temari tilted her head a little as Shikamaru led her forward, the warmth of his hand was the only thing guiding her right now.

She was counting her steps just now, but now she had lost count, like the many things that happened between him and her, both of them had already lost count.

She felt him stop, his hand letting go of hers.

The next second, it was on her face, gently removing the blindfold, her eyes were still shut tightly, she could hear him chuckle.

"Open up," he said, slowly her eyes opened and adjusted to the warm sunlight, she gasped.

"Do you remember this place?" He was staring at the endless sea in front of him, in his hand a lit cigarette was clamped between his sleek fingers.

He turned around and looked at her, Temari covered her mouth with her hand, a mixture of emotion within her transformed itself into a surge of tears.

As a droplet rolled down from the corner of her eyes, she smiled.

"Of course I do," she said, sighing softly. "This is where you proposed to me."

 _He was twenty three._

 _She was twenty six._

 _That day he brought her here, it was almost at the edge of a cliff, a large tree towered above them as the sun began to descend, like a large orb of flames slowly immersing itself into the water._

 _The waves crashed and recoiled from the rocky edges of the cliff, a soft hume as each wave dies, and the next follows._

 _Temari smiled at him, and he smiled at her._

 _He lit a cigarette, not saying a word._

 _She stood by him, staring at the sun, the silence lingered._

 _It was at the moment when the sky turned faintly purple, when he fished out a ring from his pocket - a rather conservative one, a silver band with a diamond fixed in the middle, two small emerald fixed at its side._

 _He took her hand and smiled at her._

" _Will you promise to give me trouble for the rest of my life?"_

How he wished he would have just popped the question normally, but then, it would not be him.

When he promised to take care of her, he meant it, for the rest of his life.

When she promised to give herself to him, she promised the whole package, the parts he loved, the parts he hated - everything.

She smiled, as she leaned her head against his shoulder.

"If you are regretting now, you are approximately seventeen years too late."

"Exactly seventeen years." He smiled at her. "Today is the date."

She looked up at him, surprised that he remembered such a small detail that she had overlooked.

"Since when are you so fixated at small details like this?" She grinned widely as she held his arm, snuggling against his shoulder.

He chuckled softly.

"Do you regret marrying me?" Temari blinked, asking a questions as it was carried away by the wind.

He patted her hand gently and took it in his, pressing a gentle kiss upon her hand, he smiled.

His answer was simple, yet it meant everything to him and her.

"Troublesome." He wrapped her in his arm and pulled her close, as they stared at the edge of the seamless surface of blue, listening to the quiet hymn of the waves.

He said nothing as he took her hand, and slipped another ring on top of their wedding ring.

"After all these years?" Temari arched an eyebrow, biting onto her lip a little bit, she thought that she was going to cry again.

As he turned around, she lost it.

He only said one word.

"Always." His voice was buried away by the crashing waves, but it was enough for the word to echo in their minds.

* * *

They sat at the restaurant, he sliced up his steak and put a morsel into his mouth.

She twirled the pasta around her fork and put it in her mouth.

Temari stared at the wine glass, the white wine sat inside the glass as she did, Shikamaru looked at her focused face intrigued.

"What's wrong with the glass?"

"Have you ever heard of trust as a glass?" Temari smiled thoughtfully. "Someone once told me, trust is like a glass, once you have broken it, even if you stuck it back with glue, it will always look broken, it will never be the same again."

Shikamaru arched an eyebrow, smiling as he put down his cutlery. He reached over the table, and looked at her.

"It's just a matter of perspective," he said. "All you have to do is accept that fact that it has been broken, as long as the glass is still capable of doing what it's supposed to do, there is no problem."

He took her hand in his and soothed her fingers. "It serves as a better reminder about how precious it is, how difficult it is to mend and fix - how it should never, ever be broken again."

Temari chuckled softly as her other hand reached over, gently patting his hand. "Your steak is getting cold."

He smiled as he retracted his hand, as he looked up, his smile faded a little, from the love-drenched smile to a polite arch.

He nodded his head, causing Temari to turn around.

Her smile faded a little as he approached, dipping his head at the couple.

"Fancy seeing you here, eh?" The man smiled beneath his masked face. "I see both of you doing fine."

"We are," Shikamaru said, almost impatiently, he softened a little as he saw that attached to the man's arm, was a woman. The woman was slightly plump, smiling at the two of them - he could tell she must have been the sassy, loud type when she was younger.

"This is Anko," Kakashi introduced her, as her light brown eyes thinned into a line.

Shikamaru and Temari stood up and greeted the woman, Temari hugged Anko gently.

As she turned towards Kakashi, she looked at Shikamaru. He stared at them, not out of anger, nor sadness, but concern.

He could see it in her eyes that she wanted to say something to the silver-haired man, he blinked with his dark eyes, a sign of approval as he straightened his jacket.

"I am going out for a smoke," he said, nonchalantly, as he walked outside, Temari reached over and took his hand.

He gave her hand a gentle squeeze, before letting her go and heading out of the door.

As she turned around, she saw that Anko had walked away, as he stared into her green eyes with his brown eyes.

"Everything has been fine, I hope?"

"Yeah," Temari smiled at him. "Anko seem like a really nice lady."

"Guess where we met?"

"Don't tell me…" Kakashi smiled beneath his mask.

"People with scars just tend to attract each other," he said, blinking. "But one thing is for sure - you are happy, at last. I could see it in the way you look at him."

Temari smiled warmly and hugged Kakashi. "Thank you," she said.

He said nothing and patted on her back.

"Let's not see each other again," she said, with a smile she parted from him. Kakashi nodded.

"See you, rather, farewell," he dipped his head at her as she sat down, and he returned to his table.

Shikamaru returned, she could smell the minty spicy smell that reeked from his lips as he leaned towards her, she turned around and stole a kiss from him, grinning as she parted from him.

"You're not going to ask me what I said to him?"

Shikamaru blinked and smiled at her as he sit down. "It doesn't matter to me," he said. "As long as he is not snatching you away, again."

Temari chuckled softly as she finished her glass of wine.

 _She is with him, whatever baggage she has with her, he is willing to carry those on his shoulders too._

 _Their glass might be broken, but just as he said, their broken, mended glass is what makes it so precious -_

 _He trusts her, no matter what._

 _He loves her, no matter what._

 _And that was all that matters._

* * *

Author's note:

I have put down this story for quite some time, partly because I feel like it was not as good as I hoped it would turn out to down, partly because I am not sure how to end it ... anyway, I decided to end it in a few chapters, if not the next. That way, I can give closure to this story and put more of my (if any) time on my other stories.

Thank you for reading my stories as always, I always enjoy and am inspired by your reviews; I am always encouraged and flattered by those who follow and favourite my stories ... thanks for the love! xoxo

V.S.V


	22. Confession

"Flight number 0923 departing…" the loudspeakers echoed in the airport, as Shikadai stood there.

He had not told anyone that he would be here, not his parents, not his cousin, most certainly, not her.

Unknowing to him, his ever watchful parents knew of his little morning outing, his father stood in a nearby corner, observing his son.

It reminded Shikamaru of something he did almost twenty years ago, when he missed the chance to said goodbye to Temari.

 _This must be how Temari looked like when she waited for me._

He watched his son, shuffling his feet at the departure gate, his green eyes shining as he glanced, looking for a familiar shade of blonde.

His palms were wet from sweating, despite of the freezing cold air-conditioning in the airport, the summer heat was getting to him.

He had waited, for how long he did not know, he did not care - he knew he had to be here.

The reason is clear as he saw a party of three approaching, his cousin seemed confusedly surprise to see him.

"Shikadai," Shinki called his name. "I was unaware that you will be seeing us off."

He shrugged, his hands folded behind the back of his head. "Well, eh, I figured that this is something I should do."

"That is very kind of you," Shinki nodded, as Shikadai exchanged awkward glances with the girl standing behind his cousin.

Shinki glanced briefly at the two. "If that's the case, I will go ahead first with Araya," the two boys headed towards the departure gate.

The blonde girl wanted to follow him, but instead, he felt a hand tugging onto the sleeve of her hooded jacket.

"I need to talk to you," his voice was calm, masking his thumping heart as he slowly let her go.

Yodo turned around, she was chewing gum, at a much faster pace than she normally does.

"Yeah?" She said, looking away.

Shikadai shuffled a little. "Eh, it was nice talking to you, meeting you and all that."

"Same," she replied.

Shikadai kept his silence for a brief moment, as Yodo looked at him.

"Well?"

"Eh, you know," he said, trying to contain himself.

"If that's all…"

"Yodo."

She stopped, her turquoise coloured eyes gently staring at him. The lone strand of hair swaying as she moved her head closer to his.

"I like you."

She looked stunned, somehow, she cracked a grin, and began to laugh.

"What's so funny?" Shikadai arched an eyebrow.

"That's a good one."

"I am serious," he said firmly. "I really do."

Yodo smiled at him.

She looked over her shoulder, Shinki and Araya were waiting for her on the other side of the departure gate.

"Well, I have to go…" Yodo said. "I have no idea when I will be back, or whether I will be back…"

"What about … this?" Shikadai asked, almost too anxiously. Yodo broke into a wide grin, blinking her turquoise eyes.

Shikadai was shell shocked when she lunged forward and pressed a kiss onto his cheek.

"Later, crybaby," she turned around and began to run with her backpack dangling; Shikadai pressed onto his cheek where her lips had kissed her, blinking his brilliantly green eyes as she waved at him before turning towards the gate.

As his son's face broke into a gentle smile and waved back, Shikamaru could not help himself but smile.

* * *

"Oh my, he is all grown up now," Temari smiled. "I bet he is even better than you were with the ladies."

"I am still good," Temari looked at him for a brief moment as he continued. "Good with my lady, that is."

Temari smiled at him, as he approached and hugged her from behind.

Temari was staring into the mirror as he did, her hand tracing the edges of her face.

He stared, as she sighed softly.

"I look old," she pouted, her other hand touching his chin and stroked his goatee.

He smiled, turning his head sideways, he planted a kiss onto her cheek.

"You know what," he said. "You are pretty when you were younger."

His dark brown eyes stared into their reflections on the mirror affectionately.

"But I love you even more now, every part of you - you are beautiful, just the way you are."

His hand traced her face, from her eyebrows, the fine lines scattering around her face to her lips, which curved into a smile as she looked at her husband's reflection in the mirror.

"Compared to the young pretty you, I love the old, weathered version of you - the signs of time, everything we been through, evident by the fine lines on our faces, the scars of our heart."

Temari held his chin and turned his head, they faced each other, as Temari pressed her lips onto his, their tongues entwined as he cradled her head.

"You are troublesome," she muttered as they broke apart. He sighed and snugged his nose against her blonde hair.

"I have a great role model in that aspect," he sighed and smiled.

A hushed click came from downstairs, followed by thumping steps up the staircase.

Temari was about to go and ask his son about his adventure, but Shikamaru stopped her.

"He is probably going to talk to his little girlfriend now," he smiled. "Just let the young ones have their fun."

Temari nodded with a shrug. "You want to go down and watch TV?"

"Sure," he smiled. "Don't I just love lounging around doing nothing?"

They went down to the living room, both of them watching and talking idly as the show went on.

Shikadai emerged from the stairs, nodding at his parents, both of them turning towards him and smiling mischievously.

"What?" He arched an eyebrow, innocently oblivious to the situation he was in.

Temari and Shikamaru looked at each other and smiled, before turning back towards their son again.

"Anything you would like to tell us?"

* * *

Author's note:

Another chapter ... :D Think I am going to end this story, with Shikamaru and Temari acting like normal parents - I think like ACP, I will write an epilogue to wrap it up, which will give you all the details you need for the future (I promise I have a great gift for all of you)

Thank you for reading the story! Your support and love are always appreciated xoxo

V.S.V


	23. Epilogue

And so, it happened.

Time flew by like a restless sprinter.

They stayed together, and watched as their son grew into a fine young man.

Shikadai graduated from his high school and entered university, just like his father did when he was young, he studied business so that he could inherit his company when the time comes.

His long-time girlfriend Yodo attended the same university on scholarship, and it came as little surprise when the older couple attended their graduation ceremony, they found their son standing in front of the blonde girl.

"Look, Yodo," he said, at the girl who was dressed in dark graduation robes. She thinned her burgundy-lined eyes and smiled at him. "You know I love you."

"Shut up," she said, grinning widely.

"I am being serious," he said.

His parents stared at them lovingly, Temari's mouth began to open; her eyes widened when Shikadai took her hand and held it tightly.

His other hand fished out a small ring from his pocket. "I bought this with the money I earned from my part time job - it is nothing fancy, and it won't be the last ring I will give you."

Shikamaru cleared his throat as he held onto his wife's hand. "Do you want to have a moment alone?"

"It's alright, dad," he said. "I want you two to be the witness."

Temari clung onto her husband's arm, shivering with excitement.

Their son stared into Yodo's turquoise eyes, the girl's gaze wavered with unknown excitement and confusion.

"I know you don't trust this marriage thing," he said. "Which is the reason why I haven't asked you this earlier."

He held onto her hand, gently yet firmly.

"I promised myself when I was way younger that I will never be together as troublesome as my mom," he shrugged, smiling as he nodded at Temari. "But I guess it's genetics," he chuckled softly. "So, here is the thing."

He held the ring to her eye level, it was at that moment Yodo realised how tall Shikadai was, towering above her as he stared down.

"Yodo, will you promise to be the one and only troublesome woman in my life?"

She looked down, Shikadai could see a few drops of tears falling atop of her lacquer leather shoes and rolled down onto the grass they were standing on.

She remained still for a moment, Shikadai was too scared to move, too scared to breathe even.

When she looked up, she was pouting, her burgundy eyeliner was surprisingly still holding up.

She grinned, and punched him gently on the chest. "Look at you, you and your stupid crybaby shit."

"Is that a yes?" Shikadai asked, barely able to contain his excitement. Yodo held out her hand, as he carefully slipped the ring onto her finger.

She threw herself into his arms, as Shikadai held her up and twirled around.

Their classmates who were nearby began to cheer for them, as he finally let her down.

He leaned forward and pressed an affectionate kiss upon her lips.

Shikamaru wrapped his arm around Temari, who was dabbing her face with a soft tissue.

"He is all grown up now," she said softly. "Our baby, he is getting married."

"I guess he have to, somehow," Shikamaru pressed a kiss on her forehead.

"This is troublesome," Temari said with a slight pout. "Now that I am stuck with you."

"Hey come on now," he turned and frowned with a smile. "I am not even complaining."

Temari smiled, as her son began to walk towards them, holding Yodo's hand.

"Sorry, I wanted it to be a surprise," he said, the green eyes he got from her slightly teary.

"Look at you," she held the tissue and dabbed his eyes, both of their green orbs shining. "What a crybaby."

The four of them laughed heartily, as the wind blew.

* * *

It has been another few years since Shikadai got married. He had been travelling in between Konoha and Suna, assisting the expansion of their company in Suna.

It almost gave Temari a heart attack out of joy when he announced to them that he was expecting a child with Yodo.

Now that she was waiting for him to come back with his wife and newborn child. He insisted upon not telling her the gender until she met it in person.

Shikamaru took the time off work today, as he waited, holding her hand.

The older couple jolted as the doorbell rang, he raced towards the door and greeted his son with a warm hug.

In their daughter-in-law's hand was a small baby, wrapped tightly, he could barely see its face.

"We want to show it to both of you," he was careful with his use of pronouns, not to spoil the surprise.

Temari went up to them and led them to the sofa, as Yodo sat down, she carefully handed the baby to them.

Temari was shivering quite a lot. "Hold me a little, Shika," she said. "I am scared that I will drop it."

"She is a girl," Shikadai said with a wide grin.

Temari gently brushed away the cloth surround her face, the little baby was sound asleep at first, she was disturbed by the movement, and slowly, she opened her eyes.

Temari gasped as she saw the same green eyes, like her own, staring back at her.

"Oh my," she said almost soundlessly. "She has your eyes, Shikadai."

"Your eyes, mom," he grinned. "And she is blonde-haired - finally some lighter colour for the Nara family."

"Blonde hair and green eyes, huh?" Shikamaru stared lovingly at his granddaughter. He turned to his wife, who was holding the infant in her embrace. She was biting on her lip, it was almost too emotionally overwhelming to her. It was as if she saw her unborn daughter in her arms, looking at her with a confused, cloudy gaze with green eyes like her own.

"Mom?" Shikadai called her, and she looked up. Unknowing to herself, tears were streaking down her face. "Are you okay?"

"I am, I am," she smiled and wiped the tears away with the back of her hand. "She is beautiful, Shikadai. That must be really tough, Yodo."

The younger couple laughed. "If you look closely," Yodo smiled. "She does look quite a lot like you, lucky for her to resemble her beautiful grandmother."

Temari patted gently on the baby, as she smiled without answering.

"Have you thought of a name?" Shikamaru smiled, as Temari looked up from the baby.

"We are actually thinking about it," he said. "We wanted you to do the honours."

Temari gently passed the baby to Shikamaru, her gaze lingered as she shivered a little.

"Mom, I know what happened," he said. "And I want you to fulfill that wish you have - whatever you want to name my little sister, we want you to name our daughter after her."

Temari covered her mouth with her hand, barely able to contain herself as Shikadai held her in a hug.

"You don't have to, Shikadai." She said, clinging onto her son as she wrapped her arms around her son.

"We want you to."

Temari smiled at him, she turned and looked at the baby who was staring at Shikamaru, her tiny lips turning upwards into a smile.

"Alright then."

* * *

Her hair faded into a dab of blonde and grey, so did his dark hair began to streak itself in white.

He held onto her hand gently, as he had for the past decades as they waited at the arrival hall.

As the passengers began to appear, they stared anxiously.

"Grandma!" She turned around and saw two children running towards her.

The older girl had blonde hair and green eyes, neatly tied into four pigtails as she approached, running into her arms.

"Shikamari," she wrapped her arms gently around her, as she stared at a short distance, a small boy, his dark hair tied neatly into one small pigtail, racing his mother as he approached.

The little boy ran into the arms of his grandfather, who lifted him into mid air and twirled around.

Temari held the little girl up. "Wow, you have grown taller and heavier!" She exclaimed, as the little girl pressed a kiss onto her cheek.

"I want to be tall and beautiful! Just like mommy and grandma!" Temari laughed as she turned around, the little boy wrapped his small arms around his neck and snuggled affectionately.

"How's our baby Kumo?" She stared at her grandson, who looked back at her with turqoise green eyes, and smiled.

"He is mostly daydreaming, like a cloud in the sky." Yodo joked.

Temari shook her head with a smile. "Alright then, let's head back to Grandma's, I have prepared your favourite food!"

The children cheered on as they walked towards the entrance.

Temari thought that her life could never be better.

Despite living her life which once resembled hell with its blazing flames, the trust between her and her loved one broken and mended like a broken glass, everything faded like a smokescreen.

In the end, it was happiness that was the most important.

Her happiness, her family's happiness.

And she could not be happier.

Perhaps, happily ever after is true after all.

* * *

Author's note:

THIS IS THE END! Finally I decided to wrap up the emotional journey - although Shikamaru might not be Temari's own child, she would love her grandchildren just as she did her own (i am pretty sure) :)

I hope that you have enjoyed the story, there have been some ups and downs, but I just can't do a sad ending with our favourite couple - not this story at least :)

As always, thanks for the love! Your support is forever my best source of motivation and

V.S.V


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